


Misfire

by Night-Mare (Aoife)



Series: Misfire(s) [1]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Broken Sawada Nana, Crossdressing Sawada Tsunayoshi, Delayed Start to Canon, Flame Animal(s), Hayato's Complicated, Immortal/Ancient Shamal (Reborn!), Implied/Referenced Relationship(s): Kyōya/Shoichi, Implied/Referenced Relationship(s): Tsuna/Dino, Implied/Referenced Relationship(s): Tsuna/Kyōya, Implied/Referenced Relationship(s): Tsuna/Takeshi, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Innuendo, Nonbinary Sawada Tsunayoshi, Other, Parental Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, Possessive Hibari Kyoya, Shameless Yamamoto Takeshi, Teacher Dino (Reborn)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29158404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aoife/pseuds/Night-Mare
Summary: Reborn's plan was clearly meant to humiliate him.It fails.(Cross-dressing as self-defence. It's not the strangest lesson anyone's learnt from Reborn. Probably. Maybe. Almost Certainly.)
Relationships: Sawada Tsunayoshi/Everyone
Series: Misfire(s) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2145372
Comments: 191
Kudos: 303





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [*] follow to find a link to an explicit AU omake starting from this point.  
> [✝︎] follow to find a link to a non-explicit alternate-POV omake starting from this point.  
> [^] follow to find a link to an explicit canonical omake starting from this point.

“Your challenge for the day is to pass as female, Dame-Tsuna. It should be easy for you, given everything.” He screws up the note and sighs. (At least it was the first day at Nami-koko, and everyone who’d stayed on from Nami-chuu were used to ignoring him; perhaps if he wore the girls’ uniform they’d treat him a little better? It would serve Reborn right.)

Tucking himself into the panties is surprisingly easy. (Reborn was as perverted as the medic he’d brought to Japan with him to assess his health; the panties weren’t just _lacy_ , they were clearly meant to hide the presence of a penis.) The bra is a little harder; while it’s cleverly padded, trying to get it to stay put is tricky until he thinks to use the tightest fastening. (He’s been trapped in the classroom while the girls talked bras; it had been mildly scarring but _very_ informative. He’d gone for the loosest one as a result of their diatribe.)

The rest of the outfit is easier; the skirt is disconcertingly short. He has _no_ idea how he’s supposed to avoid showing off the very pretty panties he’s wearing. (Or maybe that’s the point. He could see that being the point; Reborn’s already established himself as a pain in the ass and a little too fond of humiliation.) The long socks are a mercy; he suspects without them, he’d have to shave his legs to pull off the look.

There’s even make-up. He refuses point blank to wear more than the coloured lip gloss; he can’t see himself successfully applying mascara or foundation. (Did Reborn really expect him to use the tweezers he’d laid out to pluck his eyebrows?!) He steps into the provided Mary Janes - thankfully with low heels - and takes a few experimental steps, discovering that it’s actually easier to walk in them than he expected. They feminise his walk, too; he sways slightly, making the skirt swish, and it does a lot to hide his lack of hips.

Walking down the stairs is a little trickier, but his kaa-chan is waiting at the bottom of them, and she’s smiling at him in a way that makes him feel uneasy; she’s normally so _distant_ … “Tsu-chan’s very pretty this morning; will she let me do something with her hair?”

“If kaa-chan can tame my hair -” his mother’s smiles shifts to be more genuine, and she retrieves a hairbrush and shoos him into a chair in the kitchen to eat breakfast (which was yoghurt and honey and fruit and had Reborn said something to her?) while his hair is tackled.

Even his kaa-chan is stymied by his hair, but she finds a hairband, and when he looks in the mirror, he squeaks; he’s actually _pretty_! He looks like Kyoko, actually, and he wonders, again, if their families are related. (He’s not sure that’s a good thing, given Ryohei, but.)

“My Tsu-chan’s so cute!” His kaa-chan kisses his forehead. “Maybe my Tsu-chan will find herself a boyfriend? I was so pleased when my Tsu-chan made it into Nami-koko -” he flushes and chews his lip; that was a very different response than he’d got on the last day at Nami-chuu. He would have to think about that during the day. (He suspected Reborn had meant for this to be a day’s humiliation, but if his appearance changed more than just his kaa-chan’s behaviour, he might be tempted to continue it.)

“Maybe, kaa-chama.” His eyes flick to the clock, and he squeaks. “Hiiieee! If I don’t leave now, I’m going to be late!” His mother laughs and shoos him out of the door. (Where was Reborn? He’d clearly laid the clothes out for him, overnight, but he’d expected the miniature menace to make an appearance and threaten him - it was why he’d put the clothes on so readily - or to steal his breakfast.)

He’s left the house in enough time to walk to school, and he slows down as he approaches, trying to make sure he can ‘pass’. (Hibari-senpai had stayed in Namimori; which had surprised everyone. Nami-koko was a mediocre High School, and as much as the Prefect terrorised _everyone_ , he was ridiculously bright and well-connected; rumour had it he’d received several scholarships to prestigious schools in Tokyo.)

He thinks he’s made it into the building - past Hibari-senpai’s Disciplinary Committee, who only comment that his hairband is non-uniform, but tolerable - without drawing the Prefect’s attention, but something makes the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. “Sawada Tsuna.”

“Yes, Hibari-senpai?” He turns and looks up at the Prefect and blinks. He bites his lip without any intent, but the older teen’s eyes track to his tortured lip, and he flushes as he reads the body language. (Reborn’s been making him study it, an effort to inform and enhance an extra ‘sense’ Reborn insisted he had. He wasn’t convinced, but it does mean that he sees Hibari-senpai’s adam’s apple twitch, the dilation of his pupils, and the older teen’s hardening cock and puts it together and discovers that Hibari-senpai finds him cross-dressing _attractive_.)[*]

“I will ensure your registration is amended.” He squeaks, and the Prefect’s smile is almost predatory. “This suits you better than your previous … unruly appearance.” That made his decision for him. If he’d attracted the Prefect’s attention in the male uniform, he’d already be nursing a concussion. Instead, he was being complimented and offered a _favour_. “Class 1A. If anyone argues, tell them that I said you were to transfer.” He squeaks and nods, and Hibari-senpai steps to one side. “When you are ready to … discuss this change, you may come to me, little Sky.”

His eyes go wide, but he’s unwilling to ask Hibari-senpai questions yet. Instead, he scrambles inside and finds his labelled cubby with a pair of the soft indoor slippers with a slight heel the older girls liked; he slips them on (hopefully without flashing everyone) and goes in search of his new classroom. It’s mercifully mostly empty when he enters; he takes a seat near the back of the class.

“Maa, maa. I like the new look, Tsuna-chan.” He squeaks and flushes bright pink, and Yamamoto-kun rubs the back of his head, looking slightly sheepish. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you!”

His cheeks burn even hotter when Yamamoto apologises to him, and the kendo club captain - he still wasn’t sure what had happened in their second year, but it had ended with Mochida’s disappearance and the former baseball star taking up the captainship of Nami-chuu and Nami-koko’s combined kendo club - seems actually flustered by his response.

“Maa, maa … since I called you Tsuna-chan, you can call me Takeshi!” Takeshi mouths a suffix, and he bangs his head on his desk as he realises what it is. He’d expected some response to him cross-dressing at his new school, but not the two male school idols to flirt with him _shamelessly_.

“Did Reborn put you and Hibari-senpai up to this?”

“… Reborn?” Takeshi does a _very_ good job of looking confused, and he _almost_ believes him. “And I haven’t talked to my jūkei since he confirmed I had a place at Nami-koko at the end of March.”

“He’s about this high, an absolute menace and wears a pacifier around his throat. Likes to shoot me.” Takeshi’s eyes go wide.

“He’s supposed to be in _Italy_. I need to tell chichi-ue he’s here -” his classmate looks genuinely worried, and he decides that Reborn _hasn’t_ put Takeshi up to flirting with him. “- where did you see him, Tsuna-chan? Do you know why he’s here?”

He’s about to answer Takeshi when the swordsman stands up, and he follows suit - the only reason for him to do so, is that an adult, probably their home-room teacher, has entered the room - and bows in the appropriate direction; when he comes up from the respect gesture, he makes eye contact (accidentally) with their teacher, and he feels his cheeks heat; their teacher was clearly _not_ Japanese (maybe he was the school’s English instructor?), blond-haired and _pretty_. (Inconvenient-erections-grade pretty, at that.)

“Good morning, class.” The blond is chirpy, his Japanese understandable but heavily accented. (He’d thought American until the man had opened his mouth, but the sound was wrong; he sounded a little like Reborn, his accent a little harsher and a little more guttural.) “My name is Cavallone Dino; given my clan name’s relative trickiness for a Japanese speaker, I will permit you to call me Dino-sensei.”

Takeshi’s hand shoots up in the edge of his vision.

“Yes …?”

“Asari no Yamamoto Takeshi. Did Cavallone-sensei -” he blinks as Takeshi shows off, pronouncing the name correctly (had Takeshi learned another language when he was younger?) “- mean to use clan name? Its meaning is specific.” their teacher’s eyes had widened for a moment, and he thinks for a moment it’s because Takeshi had questioned him, but he realises that the expression had begun with Takeshi’s choice of how to name himself.

“I did. Your father will recognise my name, Takeshi-kun. Give him my greetings this evening.” His classmate twitches. “Now. I believe I need to take the class register and give you your interim schedules; they will be revised as we sort out your specialisations, strengths, weaknesses and intended trajectories.”

They run through the register - most of his classmates are washouts from Midori and Yuumei, and a few from Kokuyo who found it easier to come into Namimori than commute into the city for High School - and he squeaks his way through his response to Dino-sensei (Hibari-senpai had already changed his registration! Hiiieee. He was officially Sawada Tsunade!); next to the others he wasn’t very interesting. He had no clubs, and no university he was aiming at for his teacher to be invested in.

“I believe you have a specialist tutor, Tsuna-chan; he has made it clear that he is developing your educational program at your zokuchō’s request, sì?” He blinks. Hiiieee! Reborn had gotten to his teacher?!

“Hai. Reborn-sensei is tutoring me at my … grandfather’s request.” Timoteo di Vongola was not his grandfather, but calling him his oyabun or his father's 'master' would cause more trouble than he was willing to court right now. “Please take mercy on me while he fills in the gaps in my education, Dino-sensei.”

“I’ve studied with him, Tsuna-chan. If you need to take refuge from him, my office door is open.” He’s fairly sure the offer is genuine; the blond looks like he’s having a flashback of some sort for a moment. Dino-sensei shakes his head, throwing off the moment, and continuing down the register, finishing with Takeshi, who introduces himself properly and his eyes widen again at the swordsman’s intended study ‘trajectory’.

“Is your father still running Takesushi, Takeshi-kun? I believe I need to have a conversation with him; the current Sword Emperor is an old friend.” He giggles - as do several of their classmates - as Takeshi develops actual hearts in his eyes.

Dino-sensei excuses himself to his first class, and he sits there, his mind whirling; Takeshi-kun and Dino-sensei clearly knew Reborn and were alarmed by his presence in his (her?) life. They also both seemed to be attracted to him, too, along with Hibari-senpai, and he wasn't sure how he felt about going from being ignored to seemingly being considered as their class's female idol!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omake: Explicit - [Oral - Kyōya/Tsuna - POV Tsuna](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29219799/chapters/71808057) \- [return to text]


	2. Chapter 2

He breathes a sigh of relief when the final bell rings; somehow, he’s pulled it off. And Reborn’s left him alone, too; he’d expected to be tripped, or a gust of wind to flip up his skirt. He retrieves the broom to sweep up the room on auto-pilot; his previous classmates had made it clear it was his job as Dame-Tsuna to clear up the room if he wanted to be tolerated and it was easier to just do it rather than protest.

It doesn’t take him very long to sweep up; compared to his new classmates, his old ones were pigs, and he wishes he’d been confident enough to let Hibari-senpai _know_ how bad they were. “I deliberately hadn’t set up a rota up yet, Tsuna-chan.”

He squeaks and whirls around, meeting his new homeroom teacher’s eyes. “Hiiieee. Dino-sensei!”

“I was planning to do it myself this week; I wanted to gauge how much work I was asking of my students before creating it. I remember how much of a mess my classmates and I made.” The blond’s lips quirk. “Reborn only added to it; my high school teachers _hated_ his intrusions into their classrooms. And speaking of his miniature menace-ship, is he behaving himself?”

“Mostly.” He bites his lip and flushes as Dino-sensei’s eyes track to it. “… does Dino-sensei know my father?” He’s really asking if the blond is from the Ukiyo. Reborn had actual qualifications, so it was possible he’d tutored Dino at university or something, but his gut said otherwise.

“Unfortunately, yes.” He winces. “I suspect you take after your mother’s side of the family, Tsuna-chan. My experiences with your father are why I can’t quite bring myself to use your surname, and your classmates wouldn’t be familiar with your clan name, ne?”

“I’m not sure I would remember to answer to it, either, sensei. It’s new to me, too.” His teacher makes his own face, and he giggles.

“As to your second, implicit, question, Tsuna-chan, Reborn called in a number of favours; spending a semester teaching English was my solution to his request. It both allows me to explain my presence in Namimori to the residents, and permits me to spend time in your proximity regularly. My wakagashira is running things in Italy in my absence; the wonders of telephony mean I’m always reachable if he needs me.” He smiles a little at what he _assumes_ is a dig at his otousama's absence from his life.[*]

“Tsuna-chan? Chichi-ue sent me back to see if you wanted some sushi … oops, sorry Cavallone-dono. I didn’t realise you were still here.” The blond smiles. “But seriously; I think he _needs_ to talk to you for some reason, Tsuna-chan -”

“I’ll take it from that dono suffix that your father did, indeed, know who I am, Takeshi-kun?” His classmate nods. “Please refrain from using it in class. And yes, of course, you can steal your classmate from me; I need to catch up with Reborn. He owes me a number of explanations.” Their sensei smiles at him. “You did very well today, Tsuna-chan. You’re nothing like your father claims.” He blushes, bright red; he’s not used to the easy praise. “And I’ll let you into a secret; Reborn respects _confidence_. If this is who you want to be, and you can brazen out his attempts to remedy his misfire, he will support you. Eventually. He’s trying to force you to find your backbone; he doesn’t care what it looks like or how you find it, as long as it’s solid enough to build on.”

Takeshi-kun tows him out of the classroom, and he goes fairly willingly; he’s not sure he’s willing to continue the discussion with his new sensei right now. (He’s not sure what to think about the implication that his new sensei is _a Mafia Don_.) He’s towed determinedly in the direction of Takesushi, his classmate clearly very focused on taking him to see his father (who must be something to do with Ukiyo if he knew their new sensei). He does balk when they approach the restaurant, though; he’s just realised what it must look like for Takeshi-kun to tow him through half of Namimori, hand-in-hand, and following him into the restaurant would only amplify the effect. (Takeshi-kun didn’t take people ‘home’.)

Takeshi-kun barely notices his attempt to resist, pulling him through the front doors to the restaurant (something about crossing the threshold makes the hair on the back of his neck stand on end) and right up to the sushi bar, where there’s an older male who looks a lot like his classmate preparing something in the open kitchen beyond it.

“Irasshaimase -” the chef cuts off, eyes widening. “- Takeshi-kun? I thought you had gone to fetch the classmate who had mentioned Reborn -?”

“I had, chichi-ue; apparently Tsuna-chan’s ojiisama sent him.”

“I suppose that’s a discreet way to refer to Signore di Vongola.” The chef puts his knife down. “Not to be indelicate, Tsuna-chan, but I was under the impression that the Vongola heir was male.” He bites his lip, and Takeshi’s tou-san smiles. “Reborn is hardly a suitable tutor for a Donna; Takeshi tells me the young Don he tutored is showing signs of flashbacks?” He’s amused that _that_ is what the man’s focused on. Not how they’ve ended up with a Mafia Don as a homeroom teacher.

“He went away for a moment when he offered me refuge from Reborn, if that’s what you mean by a flashback, Yamamoto-sama.”

Takeshi’s father tilts his head slightly in confirmation that was indeed what he’d meant. “… has your tutor shot you yet, Tsuna-chan?”

“Hiiieee! No, why would he do that?!” He flails for a moment, and then calm creeps in from outside, compressing his panic into a tight little ball that settles in his chest in a way that he can ignore for now.

“They’re part of one of his teaching tools, and part of why Cavallone Dino may be having flashbacks, Tsuna-chan. Notoriously, he shot Cavallone-dono at a major event in Sicily, resulting in him being forced to streak through the Iron Fort wearing only a thong.” It’s only whatever Takeshi - or Tsuyoshi - has done that keeps him from having a complete panic attack. “I think you may benefit from working with Takeshi on agility and, bluntly, your ability to dodge; I’ve seen your surviving cousin dodge both bullets and thrown knives in the past, and I am aware it’s a skill that is trainable.”

“Reborn keeps trying to tell me to listen to my intuition, but I don’t know _how_.” His eyes widen as the last part of Yamamoto-sama’s statement registers. “Hiiieee! There’s another candidate?!”

“Your oyabun had four sons, or three sons and a grandson; it’s not clear which. There have been three funerals, not four, and no denouncement of the survivor.” He chews his lip, and the older Yamamoto makes an odd expression. “Your homeroom teacher may know more; he claims your surviving cousin’s wakagashira as an old friend.”

“That’s who he was referring to, right, chichi-ue, when he teased me with the possibility of sparring with the Sword Emperor?” Yamamoto-sama laughs.

“Yes. And if he can wrangle Squalo into _sparring_ , your homeroom teacher is genuinely the Sword Emperor’s friend, musuko-kun; I had heard rumours about them sparring, and Cavallone-dono holding his own, but I’ve been unable to confirm them.” His classmate was actually bouncing on his toes, and he facepalms as he realises that Takeshi was at least as bad in his obsession with the sword as he had been about baseball before the Mochida incident.

“I’ll behave for him, I promise, chichi-ue.” His classmate tilts his head. “What sort of weapon does he wield?” He headdesks.

“A whip and his Flames, musuko-kun. If you wish to test yourself against him _and_ can get him to agree, it will need to be in Asarigumi and under supervision. Understood?” Takeshi whines. “It’s a hard weapon to combat, apprentice-mine, especially when wielded by someone who has mastered it. You’re not yet experienced enough to improvise against someone you don’t want dead without a third person present.” He lifts his head from the bar, and Yamamoto-sama smiles at him. "Will you keep an eye on my idiot apprentice at Nami-koko, Tsuna-chan? We’re still working on his common sense and risk assessment skills."

“Hiiiieee. If Yamamoto-sama can’t stop Takeshi-kun from being ridiculous, how does he expect Tsuna-chan to manage to wrangle him?” Yamamoto-sama’s lips twitch.

“Tsuna-chan, my son would very much like you to be his Sky.” He doesn’t understand. It must show in his face; Yamamoto-sama makes an expression that’s two parts ‘oh fuck’ and one part ‘oops’. “We’ll leave it as something that I’m sure Reborn or Cavallone-sama will cover in the next few weeks; the important part, Tsuna-chan, is that you have been Takeshi’s ikigai since he started at Nami-shoho.” Takeshi whines. “To be blunt, if you had ever indicated that you wanted Nezu dead, he would be.” His classmate’s cheeks are pink. “If you tell him no, or to stop, he will; if he fails to, I need to know _immediately_.” The way Yamamoto-sama says that makes it clear that the reason he needs to know is to prevent his son from committing either seppuku or murder.

“Chichi-ue -” his classmate is bright red. “- I’m not _that_ bad.”

“Your itoko has disposed of three corpses for you, musuko-kun. I know they were all threats to your ikigai in various ways, but your impulse control when it comes to threats is still … iffy, though knowing that Tsuna-chan is a Vongola heir makes me less concerned about your choice to kill their stalkers.”

“Hiiieee!!!” Yamamoto-sama’s lips quirk in amusement.

“Do you have a cellphone, Tsuna-chan?” He shakes his head. “We’ll have to remedy that; I’ll talk to your mother.” Yamamoto-sama smiles, but it’s a bitter, cold smile. “I also need to remind your tutor that he’s still banned from Takesushi after his past behaviour and that I know how to kill him.” He twitches. “Takeshi-kun, why don’t you walk Tsuna-chan home and ask his okaasan to ring me, please.” Yamamoto-san pulls out an oversized bento from behind the counter. “And please, enjoy dinner on me, Tsuna-chan; there’s enough in there for you to share with Nana-chan.”

Takeshi-kun takes the bento and then reaches for his hand, and he hesitates and then lets him take his hand. (It couldn’t make things any worse than they already were, right? And if both of Takeshi’s hands were full, he wouldn’t try and lash out at Reborn, or if his kaa-chan slipped and called him Dame-Tsuna …)

Takeshi tows him home without any direction on his part (and he squirms at the clear confirmation that his classmate has been watching over him for years). And knocks firmly on the door before he can fish his key out of his pocket. His mother answers it with alacrity, and he barely avoids making a face at her expression; she’s clearly delighted that Takeshi’s brought him home.

“Ara. Thank you for escorting my daughter home, Takeshi-kun!” His mother actually has stars in her eyes, and Takeshi looks disconcerted for some reason. (He’s not surprised, not after how his ka-chan had treated him that morning, that she’s calling him her daughter, even though he’s sort of embarrassed that she’s doing so in front of _Takeshi_.)

“Chichi-ue sends his regards, Nana-san, and would like you to ring him, please?”

“Ara. At the restaurant, Takeshi-kun, or at home? I have the restaurant’s number -”

“- that works, Nana-san.”

“If Takeshi-kun will wait a moment there’s something for him …” He twitches; his kaa-chan was up to _something_ , and he’s not sure he wants to know what. Before he can follow his mother into the house, Takeshi hands him the oversized bento and kisses the tip of his nose, making him blush; in the time Takeshi has him distracted, his mother has written something down, and she hands it to Takeshi-kun, who then trots off back towards Takesushi without explaining that kiss. “… Ara. That’s a very cute boyfriend you’ve acquired, Tsu-chan. Is he the kendo-club captain? I saw his sword, and Hibari-kun is so very strict about weapons -”

“Kaa-chan, what did you give Takeshi-kun?” He unties the bento, smoothing the cloth out on the table, and squeaks slightly at what he finds inside; the containers weren’t the normal take-out containers from Takesushi - his kaa-chan bought sushi from the restaurant sometimes - but beautifully carved containers.

“Oh, his tou-san clearly approves, Tsu-chan. Open them and let’s see what he’s sent home with you?” He complies, and opens the containers, revealing beautifully cut sashimi and elegantly shaped maki and nigiri, all clearly customised to his and his mother’s tastes. “… as to what I gave Takeshi-kun, well I went out and bought some things for Tsu-chan and reorganised a little.”

His mother puts a phone in a cute case on the table and pushes it across to him. It’s already charged and set up, and there’s a tiny charm dangling from it. “I thought -”

“Ara, Tsu-chan is a High School student now, and one with a cute boyfriend, too! Tsu-chan needs a phone, so I bought one for Tsu-chan. Reborn-san even chose the charm for it -” Nana’s smile turns almost sly. “- and I made sure Tsu-chan has unlimited texts, too.”

That makes him instantly suspicious of the charm (he’s willing to bet it’s either a bug or a locator), but he doesn’t say anything, and he picks up the phone and examines it while his mother retrieves two bowls and two sets of chopsticks. It’s a high-end model, and clearly on a monthly account rather than needing to be topped-up.

“Thank you, kaa-chan.” It’s all he can say, really.

They eat the sushi in companionable silence. (He wants to know where Reborn is; he’s been half-expecting an ambush, all day, but the tutor has been notable by his absence.) Even without Reborn’s presence, his day has been confusing - both how well he’s been treated while wearing the girl’s uniform, and how _comfortable_ he’s been - and he really hopes he can figure out what he’s going to do about Takeshi and how to continue _being_ Tsuna-chan for school. (He was willing to bet that Reborn was going to take back the uniform and accessories he’d worn today. He didn’t _want_ to be Dame-Tsuna anymore. And Tsuna-chan wasn’t _Dame_.)

“I moved you into the balcony bedroom, Tsu-chan. You’re almost an adult, now, and that small room is better suited to Reborn-kun; I replaced some of your clothes, too. They were okay before, but not so much now -” that was somewhat ominous, but maybe she’d just solved his clothing issue? And Hibari-senpai had approved of him being Tsuna-chan, so if all else failed he could probably appeal to him. (He would probably get bitten to death for being out of uniform, but once he'd bitten him Hibari-senpai would fix it, wouldn’t he?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omake: Explicit - [Desk Sex - Dino/Tsuna - POV Tsuna](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29219799/chapters/71745273) \- [return to text]


	3. Chapter 3

“You’re going to be late to school, Dame-Tsuna.” Reborn’s voice is cold, and he squeaks, bolting out of bed. He yanks his wardrobe open and - as he’d dreaded - finds only male uniforms. But the sundress his mother had bought him, and the new yukata are both still there albeit hidden behind his old one, and he doesn’t want to be Dame-Tsuna. He really doesn’t. He’d much rather be Tsuna-chan! He panics a little, and then takes a deep breath and pulls the sundress - it’s a bit cool for it, still, but if he pulls a hoodie over the top of it, it’ll cover his lack of bust and hopefully the fact he hasn’t been able to tuck - out of the closet, and a hoodie that he’s not worn yet, and dresses himself.

The effect is not quite as convincing as the properly tailored school uniform with the right underwear. Still, if his kaa-chan can tame his hair a little and is willing to share a bit of make-up, he can probably make it to a member of the DC and ask for Hibari-senpai’s help. Or to Dino-sensei. (Or to Takesushi, but he didn’t want Takeshi to try and kill his tutor. The way Tsuyoshi had responded when Takeshi had questioned him suggested his classmate would get seriously injured, if not killed in the attempt.)

He half falls down the stairs. (He can feel Reborn watching, but this is another test, isn’t it? As long as his tutor doesn’t show himself, he thinks he’s going to be able to hold his temper.) “Ara, Tsuna-chan. Shouldn’t you be in uniform?”

“Reborn took it, kaa-chan.”

“Ara. I had to confiscate your phone from him, too.” His mother sounds actually annoyed with his tutor. “Unfortunately it’s now locked until lunchtime, Tsuna-chan.” So much for sending someone a message. “Let me get you something I bought to try and manage your hair, sweetheart. There are some nigiri left from dinner; why don’t you eat them while I retrieve it?”

He nods, and his mother slips his phone into his school satchel on the way past him; she heads upstairs, and he tiptoes into the kitchen to dig in the fridge. He doesn’t bother even taking them to the table, choosing instead to eat them standing up. He’s just finishing the second when his mother returns, with a headband, a bottle and some more lipgloss.

She attacks his hair with a hairbrush, and the product, and performs a minor miracle while he applies a little lipgloss (he’s seen the girls doing it often enough to be able to do it blind). “That will have to do, Tsuna-chan. Good luck with Hibari-kun.” He squeaks, and she shoos him out of the door - he slips his running shoes on, even though they don’t go with the dress, but he needs to run, and they’re the most gender-neutral shoes Reborn has left him.

Running to the Nami school complex is second nature; before Reborn’s arrival, he’d gotten into a rhythm of arriving just in time for school (just before Hibari-senpai descended with his tonfa to bite people to death). Unfortunately for him (at least in some ways), he’s still got the timing down; Hibari-senpai’s not yet made an appearance, and he’s left with a decision to make. Dino-sensei, or picking one of the DC members that would actually believe him that he needed to talk to Hibari-senpai.

His decision is made when he spots Kuskabe-kun; he makes a beeline for Hibari-senpai’s second-in-command, and the older teen gives him an odd look. “Sawada-chan?” He shudders; he doesn’t like that name now he knows about his father. “You’re out of uniform -”

“- I need to talk to Hibari-sama, Kusakabe-san. It’s about my tutor and why I’m out of uniform.” Hibari-senpai’s second-in-command makes a face, but turns, indicating for him to proceed the older teen into the building. “Um, I know where Hibari-senpai’s office is in Nami-chuu, but I’ve never been to his one in Nami-koko, Kusakabe-san.”

“Ah. Let me take you to him, Sawada-chan.” He’s led through the building, through a maze of corridors, some of which he’s sure are meant to be for the staff only, and delivered to a non-descript door. Kusakabe-san knocks on it firmly and then … vanishes.

“Come in.” Hibari-senpai’s voice is curt, and he quavers and then sucks up his courage, and opens the door. The Prefect is kneeling, seiza-style, behind the low desk at the far end of the room, and doesn’t even raise his head from the papers he’s working on. “Kusakabe-kun, I thought I told you to leave me in peace.”

“Hiiieee.”

“Tsuna-chan.” Hibari-senpai’s eyes are purple, and it feels like an odd thing to fixate on, but that’s not his eyes’ normal colour. “You are out of uniform.”

“Reborn took it.” He chews his lip. “He locked me out of my phone, too. Or I would have sent Tsuyoshi-sama a message.”

“… somehow, I am not surprised.” Hibari-senpai’s voice is dry. “My ojisama warned me about him, and the Horse approached me last night. There is a fresh uniform and appropriate accoutrement in my bathroom, little animal. Ready yourself for school.” He squeaks, and the Prefect indicates a discreet door to one side of where he’s sat. It means he has to pass close to the desk - it’s covered in papers in Romanji, notated in a fashion that makes it clear the Prefect is studying something at a far higher level than Nami-koko would assign.

Hung inside the bathroom is a suit bag, and he unzips it, half afraid of what he’ll find in there. He squeaks (which is all he seems to be doing this morning) when he finds a bag with even _lacier_ underwear than that which Reborn had provided him with. (In a pale version of the colour that the Prefect’s eyes had turned.) He strips down quickly, careful to try and keep his hairstyle intact, and pulls on the panties; the pale purple looks good against his skin, and they feel nice in a way that makes him blush. They also hide his penis more effectively; his skin tingles, and when he looks in the bathroom mirror, he looks genuinely smooth.

The bra is equally well-fitted and lacy, and he squeaks for the umpteenth time at the small medallion that sits in the gap between the cups; he _recognises_ that kamon! He almost baulks; it’s a claim that he’s not sure he should be allowing the Prefect, but if that’s the price he has to pay to be Tsuna-chan, well, he’s had dreams about Hibari-senpai. Dreams he _liked_.

The uniform is tailored, and he flushes, buttoning up the shirt, and wrapping the skirt around himself; it’s subtly cut to give him the illusion of hips. That leaves him bare-legged, and he makes a face; while he’s not _hairy_ , he’s still got visible, dark hairs, and the girls at Nami-koko either shaved or wore long socks. There’s nothing in the suit bag, and he swallows and opens the bathroom door. “Hibari-senpai?”

Hibari-senpai looks up, a small smile on his lips, and then looks up and down, and he blushes at the appreciative expression on the Prefect’s face. “Wao. I will have to tip haha-ue’s tailor, Tsuna-chan.”

He bites his lip. “There weren’t any socks or stockings in the bag, Hibari-senpai. I saw a razor, but -”

The Prefect’s cheekbones pink, slightly. He almost misses it. “Hn. They fell out of the bag this morning, Tsuna-chan.” Hibari-senpai unfolds himself from seiza, and goes to his school satchel, fishing a small parcel out of the bag. It’s wrapped in brown paper, and that has to mean Hibari-senpai intends for him to wear _stockings_. To class. Hiiieee! He turns to go back to the bathroom, and the Prefect makes a small sound that has him stilling. “You’ll find them easier to put on if you use the sofa arm, little animal.” Hibari-senpai’s cheekbones really are pink now, and he almost baulks, but this isn’t much of an ask, right?

He unfolds the package, finding the expected set of stockings inside, and he unfolds them carefully; the fabric is silky soft, and the same pale purple as the rest of the underwear he’s been given to wear. “Hibari-senpai?”

“… it’s not a uniform violation if I have given them to you, Tsuna-chan. I believe they’ll suit you.” Hibari-senpai’s folded himself back into the seiza position and continues writing on one of the slips the older teen had instituted to prevent attempts to forge notes.

He squeaks (yet again) and leans against the sofa arm as the Prefect had suggested, lifting his legs, in turn, to ease the stockings on - they feel so ridiculously _good_ , cool and soft and smooth - and once they’re in place, he looks to Hibari-senpai; the older teen is wiping his nose, his cheeks pink, and he tilts his head curiously. The Prefect proffers a pair of the slips, and he takes them and slips them into his school satchel.

“If you hurry, Tsuna-chan, you’ll make morning registration. I will be amused to know how my jūtei, the herbivore, and your tutor respond to your appearance.” He squeaks and flees, heading for his homeroom; being genuinely tardy on the second day wouldn’t look good to Dino-sensei, even if he did seem to understand that Reborn was a menace!


	4. Chapter 4

“Tsuna-chan?”

“Here, sensei. Hibari-senpai summoned me.” His sensei’s adam’s apple bobs, a convulsive swallow that Reborn’s training tells him is a sign of arousal. (He’s not sure he’s entirely comfortable with the knowledge his tutor is forcing on him.) “I have a note?” He doesn’t mean to make it a question, but he’s nervous.

(Takeshi-kun’s eyes are narrowed and he resists the urge to whine; he didn’t want to get stuck in the middle of an intra-cousin squabble! He wasn’t a chew-toy … or at least he was _trying_ not to be a chew-toy!)

“I suppose I should check it.” He trots up to the desk (… Hibari-senpai’s choice of heels for him to wear were higher, and the change in his posture and gait are only more exaggerated) and hands both to his sensei, who flicks them open and scans them quickly. “I had wondered about the non-regulation socks, Tsuna-chan.” His sensei’s voice is soft, pitched not to carry. “I will admit to some concern about whether you’d manage to thwart Reborn this morning; I’m pleased to see you managed it. It will do him good in the long run; he’s getting a little set in his ways.”

He giggles.

“Go back to your seat, Tsuna-chan. I’ll inform the other teachers about the uniform exemption Hibari-kun has granted you.” He nods, and retreats; his desk is at the back of the room, Takeshi-kun between him and the door. (Which was not how they’d been seated yesterday; the swordsman clearly felt more comfortable with him in a more protected position.) Takeshi-kun’s eyes are still narrowed, and he curls in on himself a little; the swordsman cringes.

“Sorry, Tsuna-chan. I shouldn’t take my jukēi teasing me out on _you_.”

“Hiiieee.” He slaps a hand over his mouth; that sound was so characteristic of Dame-Tsuna. He couldn’t give himself away with something so small and _stupid_. “But you can’t see -”

“- he’s put you in his colours, Tsuna-chan. Dressing you in washed-out Murasaki-iro is him staking a claim.” He headdesks. “But you didn’t realise that, so what else did he use to mark you?” He touches the tiny medallion stitched onto the bra Hibari-senpai had given him to wear selfconsciously; Takeshi’s eyes narrow. “Can I kill your tutor, Tsuna-chan? Please? You didn’t message me, so he has to have messed with your phone as well as taking yesterday’s clothes -”

“- your otousama said no, Takeshi-kun. He was quite clear that you weren’t ready to face whatever it is my tutor is. Because he clearly isn’t a _normal_ human.” Takeshi-kun makes a face and whines. “Don’t make me phone your otousan the minute my phone unlocks itself.”

Takeshi pouts at him.

“Yamamoto-kun?”

“Here, sensei.”

“… I didn’t realise kendo club was today, Yamamoto-kun.” Dino-sensei’s voice carries a note of amusement.

“I’m on Hibari-senpai’s rota of chew-toys, sensei. I always have my shinai with me.” Takeshi’s smile is amused. “Not carrying it is a great way to get a concussion, and otousama’s adamant I don’t need any more of _those_.” Their sensei’s lips twitch, so there’s obviously something he’s missing.

“I hope your classmates are grateful for your sacrifice if Hibari-kun is as … ridiculous as I suspect he is.”

Takeshi laughs. “Maa, maa. My jukēi is a pussycat, really.”

“Takeshi-kun!” He hisses the reprimand and then realises that none of their classmates has _reacted_ to what either of the menaces in the room with him has been saying.

“If Takeshi-kun is sparring with Kyōya-kun this evening, then perhaps Tsuna-chan would be available to have a discussion with me; we can use my office, or walk down to the cafe, if you’d prefer -” His cheeks heat slightly. “- Reborn is prevaricating on explaining some things to you, Tsuna-chan. If I don’t offer you at least a partial explanation in his place, I’ll owe my chaplain enough Hail Marys to occupy all my personal time for the foreseeable future.”

He giggles. “Your office is fine, Dino-sensei. I trust you.” His sensei’s clearly slightly conflicted by his comment; he wonders why. The bell rings, and his sensei shakes his head, and mouths a curse, grabbing a folio off the desk, and leaving the classroom with a degree of alacrity. (He’s fairly sure he hears their sensei take a tumble in the hallway, but there’s nothing he can do about that.) “Uh. What do we have first this morning, Takeshi-kun?”

“Mathematics.” He whines and headdesks. Why did it have to be _maths_? Even with Reborn’s help, he’d only figured out practical maths; the theoretical stuff was slipping through his fingers in a frustrating fashion.

* * *

“Takeshi-kun, no. Do you _know_ what it looks like when you drag me off? Especially to find somewhere private for lunch?” His classmate doesn’t slow down, and Takeshi is too strong for him to physically resist. “I’m going to tell your otousama _all_ about your behaviour, Takeshi.” He’s towed straight through a door he doesn’t even _see_ until it’s opening and up a set of stairs and out onto a flat roof. “If the rumour starts that you’re fucking me, Yamamoto Takeshi, I will make your life _miserable_. I can just about cope with the set that has already started. Miura Haru actually had the _nerve_ to ask me if we were official!”

“Maa, maa. You’re going to make everyone think it’s _that_ day, Tsuna-kun.” He growls, and Takeshi twitches and puts his hands up. “If you’re going to keep being Tsuna-chan, then you need to think about things like that.”

He makes a face. “Just. Sit down, and behave Takeshi. And tell me why everyone ignored Dino-sensei’s conversation about your shinai this morning.” Takeshi folds himself into seiza and pulls a bento from nowhere, and he narrows his eyes and glares at his classmate, stomping his foot. “That _can’t_ have been in your pocket, Takeshi! I’ve got a yōkai on my ass telling me my father’s doomed me to a life in the Ukiyo, you’ve apparently got a _body count_ \- and not the perverted type, either - and we’ve got a Mafia Don teaching us English! If I’m your ikigai, _explain_ , damnit!”

“Maa, maa … sit down, Tsuna. You clearly need to eat a cookie.” His classmate holds one out to him, and he takes it and bites it with a certain amount of annoyance. “And the Ukiyo’s not so bad; it’s so much _more_ interesting and rewarding in all sorts of ways. Do you really want to be a salaryman? Really?” He takes a second bite rather than snarl at Takeshi; if his classmate’s sense of self was built on him (which was a terrifying idea, and he remembered watching Takeshi start to fracture before the Mochida incident) he probably shouldn’t take his frustration out on him. “You’d have to give up Tsuna-chan, after all.”

“Me turning into a hikikomori was more likely than a salaryman, Takeshi-kun. I was heading that way, after all. I had no intention of attending Nami-koko until Reborn showed up, which is probably why everyone’s willfully ignoring the fact Dame-Tsuna’s cross-dressing.” He knows he sounds bitter, but he can’t help it; he likes his new freedoms, but the liberation (and its cause) is disconcerting.

Takeshi tugs him into his side (when had the menace gotten so close) and the warmth and the human touch is oddly comforting. “The Ukiyo’s hiding fun secrets, too. Watch.” Takeshi holds out the hand not wrapped around him, and he squeaks as it’s abruptly covered in pale, watery blue Flames. “It’s not a trick; you can touch them.” He does, gingerly; they’re not hot. But the sensation is familiar!

“… that was you, last night! I was about to panic, and then I wasn’t, and it felt like _that_.”

“Maa, maa. Would you have been able to listen if I hadn’t?” He grumbles. “The Italians - your tousan’s people - call them Dying Will Flames. Most of us just refer to it as ch’i; all of us, collectively, seem to have decided to call them after either weather systems, for the aethereal set, or eco systems for the corporeal ones.” The flames flicker out. “They tend to run in families, though supposedly anyone can wake them. Mine - and otousama’s - are commonly referred to as Rain Flames.”

“Aethereal means ‘of the Sky’, right?” He chews his lip. “Reborn keeps referring to me being a Sky, and that’s why I had to inherit. But I can’t do _that_ \- the Flame thing, I mean, and he hasn’t explained what or how or _why_.”

“… I think Cavallone-dono’s better placed to explain _that_ part. He’s a Sky. He’s going to know what it really means better than I do.” Takeshi _feels_ amused. “He and otousama were drinking sake last night, and I’m fairly sure their discussion is the other part of why he wants to talk to you later.”

“Drinking sake or _drinking_ sake?”

Takeshi snorts. “The former. They only had a cup or two; they sparred in Asarigumi afterwards. I think it was a formal family/alliance thing, but I’m not going to ask otousama if he’s flirting with my sensei, Tsuna-chan.” His classmate sounds mildly scandalised. “If he is, I wouldn’t want him to stop because I’ve noticed; from everything he’s said, if he can find a Home in Cavallone-dono, I won’t begrudge him one; I know how he misses haha-ue.”

He leans forward, both to grab a nigiri out of a bento clearly intended for two, and to gauge whether Takeshi was planning to let go of him within the next few minutes; he successfully retrieves one (and had Tsuyoshi-sama really sent his son to school with _otoro_ nigiri?!) and establishes that no, Takeshi-kun most certainly wasn’t planning to release him before he absolutely _had_ to.

“So how _did_ that bento fit in your pocket, Takeshi-kun?”

“… it’s one of otousama’s tricks. I think he figured it out watching one of your cousins fight.” He growls, and his classmate laughs. “It’s esoteric, Tsuna. Let Dino-sensei explain _your_ Flame-type, first. I’m not being obtuse; I don’t know _exactly_ how he does it, and I can’t replicate it. All I know is if that if my bento box is tiny, I have to pull the band off to make it large again and be careful to neither drop it, nor let anyone but Hibari-sama or Kusakabe-san see that it changes size.”

He pokes the band carefully, curious as to whether he’d feel anything (Takeshi’s Flames had felt like warm summer rain, soothing and tranquil, but he wasn’t sure they stayed that way when his classmate was feeling defensive); it feels a _little_ bit like Hibari-senpai? Just a little. He says as much, and Takeshi tilts his head, thoughtfully.

“Huh. Inverted Cloud Flames would make sense. And explain why I can’t do it; otousama and I have different secondaries, even if we share our primary.” A nigiri is held to his lips, and he eats it without thinking, licking the fingers holding it without thought. Takeshi’s (very quiet) moan is what makes him realise what he’s just done; he goes bright pink.

“Hiiieee! I didn’t mean to do that, Takeshi-kun!” The other teen makes a small disappointed sound, and he feels himself deflate. (What _was_ he supposed to do with Takeshi? He wasn’t even sure what he thought about being his ikigai. Other than flattered and terrified in equal measure.) “Takeshi, I’m still figuring _all_ of this out. I mean I only figured out I liked cross-dressing _yesterday_. Give me a few weeks to figure out relationships? Please? All I knew before yesterday was that I didn’t see the appeal of a girlfriend, and that made kaa-chan sad.”

It’s _almost_ like he kicked a puppy. (Which he wouldn’t do, and puppies were terrifying, too.) Takeshi sort of folds in on himself and he’s not quite sure what he’s supposed to do about it.

“That wasn’t a _no_ , Takeshi. Just a plea for patience.” He mentally flicks through their conversation, and something makes him pause. “You said ‘if he can find a Home in Cavallone-dono, I won’t begrudge him one’ in reference to your otousama and Dino-sensei, and previously called him a Sky, the way Reborn calls me that and your otousama did, too. What am I missing, Takeshi-kun? It clearly _means_ something to you, and you’re pushing my limits like you’re missing something -”

“The roof is private, Tsuna-chan.” The words seem like a non-sequitur. “Only Kyōya and I can even get up here, unless we bring someone. Well, Dino-sensei might be able to? Sky Flames are a complete and utter cheat, according to chichi-ue.” He leans forward for a piece of the otoro, and is half surprised when he’s allowed to. “Can I lay down with my head in your lap? I’ll put the bento cloth down, I just … you’ve been my Sky since I was tiny, but you’ve been not-there since we started Nami-shoho and I didn’t have the words to explain to chichi-ue until recently, and I’m still not sure I do …”

He hesitates and then nods, and the speed with which he ends up with a lap full of his classmate’s head is mildly alarming; he’s sure Takeshi’s moving almost inhumanly fast. (Carding his hair feels surprisingly natural.) “… I vaguely remember orange fire when I was little, but tousan caught me with it, and then it went away, and I was sad, Takeshi-kun. It was just before we started Nami-shoho; might it be something to do with that?”

“You remember _having_ Flames? Chichi-ue thought you’d never gone Active and it was just wishful thinking on my part.” Takeshi hesitates for a moment. “Reborn’s not told you anything about Flame colours or even names, has he? Right? And you remember them being orange, too?” He nods and is startled when a sob escapes Takeshi.

“Takeshi?”

“I thought I’d gone mad. Or developed a fixation.” His classmate buries his head in his lap, and he blushes, and tries not to think about how close to his cock Takeshi is. “Chichi-ue described what having a Sky was supposed to be like, and I said I’d felt like that near you, but when he checked on you, you weren’t Active, -” his classmate hiccups, “- maybe Cavallone might know why?”

“Maybe.” He strokes Takeshi’s hair gently. “Do you feel better, Takeshi-kun? Now you’ve fed me and been petted?” His classmate nods. “Good. Because we’re about to be late to English, and Dino-sensei is going to tease both of us … speaking of which, how many languages _do_ you speak, Takeshi-kun? I _can’t_ make the L-sound in his name. It just doesn’t work.”

“Three. Japanese, Italian and English. The Cosa Nostra Delle Fiamme is fairly dominant in the Ukiyo, so it’s a bit like learning English, to be honest. At least it makes more sense than English does; there are actual rules and regular verbs. I’ll ask chichi-ue if there’s any way to help with the L-problem. You’ll need to learn Italian, too, if I’m reading things right.” Takeshi sits up, clearly reluctant, and sweeps up the bento parts, wrapping it and making it vanish in one motion. “C’mon. You’re right; we should get back to the classroom. Want to brazen it out? You’re the only person here I’d even _think_ about dating, so -”

“Takeshi-kun, they’re not just going to think we’re dating, but that we’ve spent lunchtime _fucking_. Which might be okay from your point of view, but for me -” he shivers, “- no. We need to come back to the classroom separately. And you need to be carrying your shinai like Hibari-senpai summoned you for a biting.”

Takeshi - his Rain? That felt right - makes a face at him. “I can be basically invisible when I want to be.” Takeshi’s lips twitch. “You’ve never caught me watching over you, and I have two actual assassins to my name.” His Rain pouts. “But no name yet, which isn’t fair. Everyone thinks they’re chichi-ue’s victims.”

He facepalms, and Takeshi relents, trailing him to the doorway, and then there’s a feeling like static electricity dancing over his skin. He opens the door warily and steps through it; Takeshi follows him, but no one seems to notice his shadow.

No one notices his shadow to the point where Kurokawa-san actually smiles at _him_. It’s a toothy smile, and not entirely friendly, but it’s more than she normally offers near _anyone_ with a Y-chromosome. “How have you not been bitten by Kyōya-jukēi for those socks?!”

“He gave them to me -” he realises what he’s just said, and blushes.

“That _monkey_.” Her hands curl into fists.

“Calm, Hana-chan. You know he’s hiding your attendance here for us. I’m sure Hibari-senpai is behaving himself. He is _awfully_ fond of his rules, ne?” He squeaks when Kyoko-chan lays a hand on Kurokawa-san’s arm, in a blatantly affectionate gesture. “I’m sure there’s an innocent explanation?”

He takes the offered lifeline. “My new tutor is a colleague of Hibari-senpai’s, um, great-uncle, Fēng. Apparently, he warned Hibari-senpai about his habits, so when I arrived at school sans-uniform thanks to my tutor, he had a spare one waiting for me. I think the purple socks were his idea of a joke? Maybe?”

“Hmph. He’s still a monkey.” The static electricity steps away from him, and then Takeshi’s sprawled in his chair in the classroom. “And so is your new puppy, Tsuna-chan. Someone needs to teach you to roll up a newspaper to discipline him properly.” He squeaks.

“Tsuna-chan, Kurokawa-chan, Sasagawa-chan, into the classroom, please; we’re due to start class, and apparently Hibari-kun is on a rampage. I’m sure none of us would enjoy being out here when he sweeps past.” Dino-sensei sounds far too amused given what the danger he’s alluding to, and his classmates scuttle to their seats. “Tsuna-chan, there’s an unknown Flame user lurking; please ensure you stay close to myself or Takeshi-kun for the next few hours.” The words are murmured, too softly for anyone else to hear, and he whines. “I’ve sent a message to my own men, Tsuyoshi-san and Reborn; hopefully between them, they’ll clear up the issue before the end of the school day.”[✝︎]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... poor Hayato. Hopefully, he escapes and evades Kyōya 😅
> 
> Omake (Alt. POV): [Hayato's Arrival & Capture - Teen - Gen (No Pairing) - POV Hayato](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29430240/chapters/72296073) \- [return to text]


	5. Chapter 5

“I have our … guest, Cavallone-dono.” Dino-sensei had put it on the table, on speakerphone when he’d answered it. Tsuyoshi-sama sounds amused. “They’re not a threat to our Tsuna-chan; they’re another victim of Reborn. I’ve put them to work while they calm down from their run-in with Kyōya-kun.”

“Thank you for the update, Tsuyoshi-san. Shall I send some of my men over?”

“- no. They’re exhausted and malnourished. If I can handle Takeshi, I can handle them. Their primary weapon isn’t much use against me, either; I learnt to extinguish explosions _years_ ago.”

“Did they say why they were here in Namimori?”

“That’s how I know they’re a victim of Reborn, too.” Dino-sensei makes a face. “Stop micro-managing me, Cavallone-dono. It’s an unattractive feature in a Boss.” The phone disconnects and his sensei rubs the back of his head in a sheepish gesture.

He giggles. His sensei - or maybe senpai fitted better; this wasn’t about school, it was about Reborn, and Dino was his senpai when it came to their tutor - slides the phone back into his pocket, then smiles.

“Well, at least that problem is contained for now; I may have to volunteer myself as a tribute for Kyō-kun if he’s feeling thwarted. I am _supposed_ to be dining with him and his mother this evening, after all.” His lips twitch at the diminutive; he wouldn’t dare to use, but he envied his teacher the confidence it suggested.

“… is that one of the things it means to be a Sky?”

“Sort of.” Dino-senpai pinches the bridge of his nose. “What have you put together from Reborn’s cryptic hints and your conversations with Tsuyoshi, Tsuna?”

He worries his bottom lip for a moment, sorting out his thoughts, and then lays the pieces out as best as he can, including what Takeshi had told him while they were sat on the roof, and his own observations as well.

“That’s more than I guessed you’d have put together and less than I hoped Reborn would have explained … maybe your intuition is kicking in?”

“Reborn keeps mentioning my intuition. Isn’t that just a fancy way of saying being good at guessing?”

“Not for Skies. Which is probably where I should start; Takeshi’s given you a foundational piece, I think -” his senpai lays out more of the pieces, and his eyes widen and widen. He must look like an owl by the time Dino winds down again; his senpai ends his speech by replicating Takeshi’s trick, and he reaches forward and touches them. His senpai twitches - they feel like _safety_ \- and then sighs in relief. “Be careful about touching other people’s Flames, Tsuna. Especially if they’re any shade of orange, at least until we’ve figured out why you can’t externalise yours, yet.”

“I have externalised them, though. When I was little. Mine were darker than that, though.” His senpai closes his hand, extinguishing the Flame, and he feels almost bereft; Dino crosses himself, and he wonders what he’d said to induce that response.

It must have shown on his face; his senpai rubs his temples like he’s got a migraine. “Sorry, Tsuna. That wasn’t aimed at you. Nothing I’d been told - by Reborn, or by your father before I left Sicily - suggested you’d already gone Active. Just that your Flames were being ‘shy’ and that Reborn wasn’t sure if he could - or should - be using the bullets on you that he used on me.” He shudders; the idea of being stripped to his underwear (or further) in front of people on his adult (male) tutor’s whims was _terrifying_.

“Does it matter?”

“… yes and no. I’m going to go and shout at people when we’re done talking, Tsuna. Because I suspect someone’s not told me _everything_.” His senpai makes a face. “I’m going to do something that your father and our shared tutor would disapprove of. It’s considered _very_ intimate by the older generation, but it’s the only thing that I can think of that might clear things up.”

“Hiiieee?”

“It’s not sexual. Though it can be done during sex, and it’s amazing when you do, and I’m babbling.” Dino-senpai facepalms. “I need to run my Flames through your body, Tsuna, and see whether I can find a … block. If you’ve _been_ Active, there’s a reason why you now aren’t.” His senpai bites his own lip. “The old men think it’s intimate because they don’t even touch their Elements’ Flames most of the time; I don’t understand how they can do that to them. If we’re their Homes -” he remembers Takeshi’s touch hunger. “I mean, they certainly don’t _like_ each other, so touching anotherSky Flame is probably uncomfortable and reveals their secrets, but -”

He makes it easy for his senpai-sensei; he put his hands on the table, palms up; Dino takes the hint, and the feeling of safety returns, even without the visual cue. (If this was why Takeshi kept glomming onto him, he was starting to understand.)

The sensation creeps through his veins, and meets resistance, and then withdraws. He mourns its loss. (Mourns not feeling the warmth bone-deep.) Dino-senpai’s eyes are vivid, dark orange when he meets them again, far darker than the colour he’d shown him earlier. “I am going to _murder_ him. I made him _swear_ he hadn’t done it to anyone else, nor _permitted_ it to be done to someone else.”

“Dino-senpai’s scaring me.”

The older Sky shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“Sorry, Tsuna. It’s anger on your behalf, rather than aimed _at_ you, if that helps.” It sort of does, but the way Dino-senpai’s Flames had gotten heavy and thick had made it hard to breathe and reminded him a bit of the time he’d seen Hibari-senpai chasing down a pervert who’d attracted his attention. “I think I’m definitely going to go and volunteer for a spar with Kyō-kun.” His senpai’s lips quirk. “I’d normally go and taunt Squalo in this sort of mood, or ride for the rest of the day, but neither of those is an option, so getting smacked around by an adorably temperamental little Cloud will have to do. Even if it _will_ make Romario frown when he sees the bruises when I conference with him this evening.”

“Dino-senpai is _insane_.”

“I survived Reborn, Tsuna. It’s sort of obligatory to be insane after that.” He headdesks. “You do get to pick the type, to a certain extent. I like the adrenaline rush of fighting someone who can kick my ass unless I’m at the top of my game, and I heal _very_ fast … plus it’s an entirely acceptable vice for me as Don Cavallone. Well, providing I pick allies to play with. Toying with the enemy is _tacky_.”

“… I stand by my statement, Dino-senpai.” The older Sky grins. “If you’re going to bait Hibari-senpai, I probably should go and tell Tsuyoshi-sama about Takeshi’s behaviour. And that I remember my Flames and they’re blocked; maybe he’ll have a solution you don’t know about? And he should know Takeshi’s suffering, too.”

“For the sake of not sending him haring off to Italy to test whether his blade is still a Sky-killer, Tsuna, please tell him it’s a _blockage_ rather than a Seal, at least for now.” His senpai looks pained. “I would like him to stay here in Japan where I can try to coax him into being my Rain, like Takeshi is yours, at least for the next few months.”

“He may put the pieces together, anyway, senpai.” His lips twitch. “Should I tell him you’re getting yourself beat up tonight? It might get you an attentive nurse …” he’s teasing his senpai (but Takeshi’s comments had made him _think_ that thought).

“If only I could be so lucky. Now. You have a better grasp of the town’s dynamics; if I drop you at Takesushi in my Ferrari, is everyone going to notice Tsuna-chan getting out of the car, or the gaijin teacher driving a truly ridiculous sports car that blatantly indicates he’s not teaching for the money?”

“… unfortunately, Dino-senpai, as I appear to be the _female_ class idol, which makes no sense with Kyoko-chan in the class even if she and Hana are in a relationship like the rumours say they are, I’m going to get noticed. Even over the pretty gaijin teacher driving the ridiculous sports car.” His senpai’s eyes are wide, and he scans back over what he just said and squeaks, his cheeks burning.

“Shall I forget that compliment for the moment, Tsuna? Even if we are talking as senpai-kohai, not teacher-student, right now, so it’s not quite as bad as if you said that in class.” He nods mutely, and Dino grins, touching his with a flame-covered fingertip. (His senpai’s _flattered_ that he thinks he’s pretty, he realises.) “So no lift; in which case, I’ll see you tomorrow for class.” Dino’s lips quirk. “If Reborn hides your uniform again, I have a set in a bag in my office; I suspect Kyōya will also have one, and there’s probably one at Takesushi for you, too.”

He narrows his eyes, remembering Takeshi’s comment about the lingerie colour being a claim. “And what colour would the underwear in Dino-senpai’s set? I’m guessing the set at Takesushi is probably pale blue -”

“- given he’s in full fixation at the moment, they might actually be pale green.” He headdesks. “It depends on Tsuyoshi’s sense of humour, to be honest.”

* * *

One of Hibari-senpai’s minions trails him to Takesushi. (He’s seen them do it for the girls, sometimes. Especially after the Mochida incident.) He shakes his head as he slips through the (now protected) open set of doors.

“Tadaima, Tsuna-chan; my silly son isn’t here if you were looking for him?” There’s someone in the kitchen behind Tsuyoshi, methodically chopping vegetables, but he doesn’t recognise them. (They have silver hair but look young. It’s not Kyoko’s brother, though.)

“Hiiieee!” He squeaks at the greeting, and Tsuyoshi laughs.

“You’re my son’s Sky; at least as far as most of the Ukiyo is concerned, we’re family.” The kitchenhand’s chopping stops briefly and then resumes again; he assumes the teen’s switching tasks. “I’m assuming you’re not _just_ here for some dinner, though I’m happy to prepare something for you.”

“Kaa-chan was preparing something this morning, so I wasn’t even looking for dinner, Tsuyoshi-sama -”

“- Tsuyoshi-ji will do from you, Tsuna-chan. Unless Takeshi talks you into marrying him, and then we can renegotiate, Sky-of-my-child.”

“Hiiieee!” Tsuyoshi laughs and puts a bowl of vegetable sticks in front of him. “Now I know where Takeshi-kun gets it from, Tsuyoshi-oji.” His Rain’s father smiles. “… does he normally fail at reading social cues, oji-san, or does he read them and just not care?”

“Both, which is partially his late mother’s fault, and partially mine.” Tsuyoshi returns to his task, and he crunches on a piece of carrot. “I assume he did something that has you asking?”

“I spent a lot of time invisible at Nami-chuu, Tsuyoshi-oji. The girls talked in front of me - which is why I know how to do basic makeup and put a bra on and a whole bundle of other things - and he doesn’t even register what it does to my _fragile_ reputation when he drags me off and hides me away for lunch.” His lips twitch. “I suspect that Hibari-senpai putting me in Murasaki-iro didn’t help, but no-one will dare suggest I’m fucking him, whilst people are already asking me what kissing Takeshi is like.”

Tsuyoshi sighs. “That’s him being willfully blind; he knows how to read the room, and he should be prioritising your safety over his wants. Tsuna-chan. I’ll have a discussion with him.” He slumps in relief. “If that fails, I may have to take advantage of a favour I’m owed; curbing bouts of idiocy can sometimes be complicated by close familial relationships, even when an apprenticeship formalises things.” He tilts his head, but Tsuyoshi shakes his head, refusing to be drawn on what he means.

He chews his lip. “I … I did have my Flames when I was little, Tsuyoshi-oji. I remember them.” The older Rain hisses. “Dino-senpai -” he uses the lesser suffix to make it clear he’s not talking about his teacher, but his senior, “- checked, and he found at least one block? He was so mad about something to do with it that he said he was going to go and offer himself up to Hibari-senpai for a sparring match.”

“A block?” He shrugs. He doesn’t know enough (and respects Dino’s wish for his _not_ to use the word ‘Seal’, those he’s not sure he really understands why) to be more specific. “I’ll ask your … senpai about it, Tsuna-chan. But combined with Eiko’s murder, it would explain some of Takeshi’s … eccentricities, if he was deprived of his Sky.” Tsuyoshi makes a face. “And that would also explain why Reborn wanted a ‘friendly-but-not-related’ Sky in Japan to remedy the issue, to be honest.”

(The room feels like the moment before a typhoon hits. It’s _terrifying_. Then Tsuyoshi shakes himself and the feeling retreats, and the teen working in the kitchen resumes chopping again; he hadn’t realised he’d stopped.)

“Sorry, Tsuna-chan. Why don’t you head home; I should ask my apprentice-chef _if_ he can handle the restaurant tonight. I clearly need to meditate and force my silly son to do the same, and then explain himself. Especially before he starts indulging himself further at your expense.” He slides off his stool and turns to leave the restaurant. “Did you enjoy the otōro, Tsuna-chan?”

“I did.” He spots the time. “Hiiieee! I’m going to be late; Reborn was insistent we needed to work on my maths homework before dinner!” He flees the restaurant to his new oji-sama’s amusement. (Which was revealing; it probably just meant that his head was going to ache from the weird maths concepts his tutor seemed to adore rather than being hit or shot.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A *canonical* omake with Hayato's POV of everything is um ... about 1K into being written. He's at least escaped mostly unharmed for now, though as you may have spotted, he's under observation. (And being fed, and kept from being chewed on while Tsuyoshi waits for his responsible adult, if one can consider Shamal responsible - or an adult.)
> 
> Omake (Alt. POV): [Hayato's Arrival & Capture - Teen - Gen (No Pairing) - POV Hayato](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29430240/chapters/72296073)  
> Omake (Alt POV): [Ransom & Shamal's Secret - Teen - Gen (Hayato & Shamal, Tsuyoshi & Shamal) - POV Shamal](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29430240/chapters/73194921)


	6. Chapter 6

“This was _not_ how I expected you to find your spine, Tsunayoshi.” He squeaks and braces himself to be hit with a Leon mallet, and Reborn sighs. “You’ve chosen a _very_ difficult path.”

“Hiiieee?!”

“I was expecting it to be your friends. Or getting to stick two fingers up at your father, now I’ve discovered just how shitty his intelligence on you _was_.” Reborn settles cross-legged at the end of his bed. “Pipsqueak-Dino - who, before your eyes get too big for your _ass_ ets, is _very_ well-endowed - says that he thinks you may be a femme-Sky; I think he’s being optimistic.” He tilts his head, interrogatively, and Reborn shakes his head, clearly amused. “I taught you that trick, Tsunayoshi.” He’s grateful that his tutor, while using the masculine form of his name _isn’t_ using Dame-Tsuna, at least. “I think that letting you figure out who you are without twisting your expectations too much will be the best bet.” Reborn’s lips twitch. “Well, providing you don’t fight me on the Mafia issue. You’re not going to be able to escape, brat. Your father’s made sure of that, and I know how to corral even Cloudy-Skies.”

“Dino-senpai alluded to that.”

“Your senpai has been talking out of turns.” He makes a face. “You’ll see Shamal for a full medical after school. He’s taken over as medic at Nami-koko after the previous ‘new’ nurse protested at the number of broken bones she was being expected to triage and treat if they were ‘simple’.”

“A full _medical_?!”

“I need to know what aspects of your nature have escaped your father’s idiocy and what I have to work with.” Reborn’s lips curve. “And he’ll make sure _no-one_ pushes you further than you can recover from. He’s a militant asshole about his chosen patients, and he made it clear you and Hayami are his patients. Takeshi and Kyōya, he intends to leave to my mercies, but, given their natures, they’re significantly more robust than you are.”

“Hayami?”

“You’ll meet them eventually. Hayami is kin to Shamal.” He makes a face. “Like I summoned pipsqueak-Dino to help me resolve your issues, your ‘grandfather’ is sending you potential Guardians. We’ll allow your demon-Cloud to act as a filter for them for now. It’s a standard use for a Cloud if a Sky lures one in this early; pipsqueak-Dino’s Cloud kicked several of the candidates he was offered off the Torre Faro.”

“… is his Cloud _human_?”

“Good catch, Tsuna- _chan_ ; no, she’s the lead mare of his herd. It’s uncommon, but there are a handful of non-human Flame Active species in the world. I’m going to throw you into the lairs of several of them over the next few years; Dino’s convinced me that Skies are well served by having at least one or two more … unusual Guardians. Conformity is its own sort of curse. And, as he’s helped you play this game, he can summon his femminiello sub-Boss in the autumn. They’ll have a lot to teach you when you’ve figured out the extent of ‘this’ -” the gesture makes it clear he means the cross-dressing, “- whether it be about how to manipulate perceptions, deal with dysphoria, or fake being female even more effectively.”

“… false carnivore.” He squeaks and buries his head under his blankets. Hibari-senpai was on his balcony, the window was open, and he just _knew_ that the Cloud had heard the ‘use’ comment. Reborn shoots at Hibari-senpai, and there’s a flare of Flames, and a snarl, and he ignores _everything_ until Reborn launches himself out of the window and Hibari-senpai follows him.

“Maa, maa. What did your tutor _do_ , Tsuna-chan? I’ve never seen my jūtei so _mad_ in my life. At least when he wasn’t dealing with _perverts_ , I mean.”

“He suggested that Hibari-senpai had a _use_.”

“Your tutor is _insane_. But chichi-ue warned me he was, so -” Takeshi shrugs. “I wasn’t sure if you’d have a fresh change of clothes for school, so I brought a set over for you. Chichi-ue let me go into Sapporo last night to buy some things for you. He did try to suggest I buy you panties in pale lightning green, but I stuck to our blue. And put the kamon in all the _appropriate_ places. My jūtei isn’t the only one who can dress you appropriately -”

“- _’Keshi_.” His classmate tosses a parcel at him that’s far too large to have been in any of the cheerful menace’s pockets. “I’m not getting dressed with you _staring_ at me. It’s bad enough Reborn spent the March break staying in my room with me.”

“Maa, maa. You should _always_ have one of us with you. Especially given how many heirs that your clan has managed to lose in such a short period.”

"That doesn’t mean that you get to sit and watch me get dressed, Takeshi. Surely you should be looking for threats, not well, -“ He waves his hands.

“Being a sixteen-year-old boy? You’re pretty, Tsu. Of course, I want to see you nude.” He eyes his Rain sceptically. “And I think you’re as pretty a boy as you are a girl …” Takeshi wheedles and he _almost_ gives in. Almost.

“Balcony, Takeshi. And tell me if Hibari-senpai and Reborn-sensei ‘roll’ back in this direction.”

“Fine. And you can call my jūtei Kyōya, you know. He’s _gone_ on you. Territorial Cloud, Tsuna-chan is my territory, back-off, gone. He broke one of Dino-sensei’s thigh bones last night; he’s lucky Shamal’s in town.” Takeshi sounds genuinely amused, and he pinches the bridge of his nose. “… can I at least see if our blue suits you as well as his Murasaki does, Tsuna-chan.”

“If you’ve included socks or stockings, you’ll see when I’m dressed, Takeshi-kun. More will have to wait a bit longer.” His Rain pouts, but settles on the balcony rail, faced away from him, and he’ll take that. (The lingerie is a delicate pin-striped pale blue and pale green and he bites the inside of his cheek to suppress his giggles. Tsuyoshi had clearly rung ahead of his son to ensure he got the last laugh. He’d have to ask why Tsuyoshi what sort of last laugh it was, though; he suspected that Takeshi would make a kicked puppy face.) He pulls each piece on in turn, and then smoothes them into place, marvelling at the way each part of the underwear changes his shape. (It’s not that he hates his, um, penis, but he doesn’t do male well; he does far better at being one of the girls. And it’s easier to _be_ a girl with the right set of bulges.)

“You can turn around now, Takeshi.” He’s only halfway through buttoning up his shirt, but he figures his Rain needs a _little_ bit of a reward. His Rain squeaks when he catches sight of his bra, and he finishes buttoning up his shirt, and then crosses the room and shuts Takeshi’s mouth with a gentle finger. “Oh, Takeshi. If that’s enough to stun you, what would you have done if I let you watch?”

“Fallen backwards off the balcony, Tsuna-chan. His father did that when I accidentally flashed him.”

“Hiiieee. Kaa-chan!”

“Oh, sweetheart. Why did you think I gave you this room? You’ve got your generation’s Asari and Hibari stalking you. They wouldn’t dishonour you, and this way they can sneak in and out to give you gifts.” He stares wide-eyed at his mother. “Takeshi-kun, please remind your cousin that people have security systems for a _reason_ , and even if he does make a very good guard, he needs to put the cameras back where he found them in the morning, please.”

“If chichi-ue and oba-sama stalked you then why didn’t they catch you, Nana-sama?”

“I don’t know.” His mother looks like her head hurts all of a sudden, and then she shakes her head. “Maybe Takeshi-kun could ask his father for me? But for now, I need to wrangle Tsuna-chan’s hair, and both of you need breakfast, I suspect.”

* * *

“Good morning, class. Before anyone asks, I had an entirely voluntary run-in with Hibari-kun last night; I’ll be limping for a few days, but will probably be back to normal by Monday.” Their sensei _looks_ battered, but utterly content with his state. “You’ll have a substitute for homeroom every Thursday and Friday; I have some business to see to.”

“Maa, maa. Kyōya-jūtei clearly likes you, sensei. You’re walking after sparring with him.”

“I’m well-trained, Takeshi-kun. And know what my teeth are for.” He giggles. “My substitute is one of my cousins, Bono; he will also be supervising your practice of the passive skills of English - and Italian for those of you who wish to acquire a third or fourth language.” He has a sinking feeling that the comment is aimed at him and Takeshi. “You have moral studies this morning. Please remember that Hibari-kun has chosen the teachers for the subject; if your parents wish to complain about the materials being taught, they are to take them up with him.”

If that injunction isn’t ominous, he doesn’t know what is. (He can see which of his classmates don’t understand what Hibari-senpai _is_. Watching them learn was going to be interesting.)

Their homeroom teacher limps out of the classroom several minutes early, but he doesn’t blame him; if he remembers correctly, their Dino-sensei had Class 3A for English, and they were on the other side of the building. They’re left alone for a few extra minutes, and their classmates chatter noisily around him (well, except for the red-head he’s been finding fascinating for the last few days; he was one of the Yūmei wash-outs, though he didn’t think he was an intellectual wash-out, not with the time he’d spent in the infirmary already and his exemption from physical education); Takeshi twitches and tilts his head, and cool rain brushes over his skin briefly. “ _Oh_. Jūtei-mine, what drove you to appeal to _him_?”

He wants to ask Takeshi what he means, but there’s a not-child, wearing a pacifier like Reborn’s around his throat perched on the desk at the front of the room. “My name is Hibari no Fēng, and today we will start with the difference between _lawful_ and _good_.”

* * *

“I thought you _hated_ Fon.”

“I do. But better he teaches ethics than _Reborn_.” He shudders, and Hibari-senpai takes advantage of his distraction to lay himself in a similar position to Takeshi’s the previous day. “Did oji-san send lunch?”

“Of course he did.”

(He’s not quite sure how he ends up hand-feeding the school’s head-prefect nigiri, but he does and it’s _terrifying_.)

“Dino-sensei’s limping, jūtei. What did you _do_? I though Active Skies were basically indestructible.”

“He was pleasantly chewy.” He squeaks and blushes and both Hibari-senpai and Takeshi look at him for a long moment and then start laughing. “Sorry, tenjō-tama. While I have mostly grown out of actually biting, it remains a familial joke, and an informal and juvenile battle cry; I am not yet ready to claim any of the adult ones.”

“Maa, maa. How did your mind end up so filthy, Tsuna-chan?”

“The bookshop on the Kokuyo edge of town isn’t very good at remembering to keep the R18 manga out of reach.”

“- I will remind the bookseller that those rules exist for a reason. Even if you are a Sky. You may tempt us, but that does not mean we should _succumb,_ at least not before you're _sure_.” He blinks, and Takeshi shrugs; he suspects his Rain would rather just indulge in everything.

“Irie Shoichi.”

“Is the son of a sword-sister of my mother, and his Flames have Activated … badly. Shamal is untangling the mess; fortunately, the boy is as underdeveloped and as unthreatening as you are, tenjō-tama.” He makes a face. “He is not as bad as he pretends to be. Old and tired and poorly treated by greedy Skies who wish to force bonds. He is confused by your homeroom tutor; an Active Sky neither trying to herd, contain nor control him is disconcerting. Obā-chama approves of him, and she approves of very few western Mists.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Hibari-senpai? I think you’ve said more in the last hour than I’ve _ever_ heard from you!” He slaps a hand over his mouth, but Takeshi laughs hysterically, and his lap’s occupant looks amused.

“You are my Sky, like you are Takeshi’s, and you are _safe_. I was raised in a serpent’s nest in the heart of a field of chrysanthemum; I prefer not to indulge in the lessons I learnt there, at least not unless they’re _necessary_. My tonfa are a far more satisfying weapon.” Kyōya’s choice of words mean something, but he’s not entirely sure _what_.

“Tsuna’s kaa-chan said something weird this morning, jūtei-mine. Did your okaasan ever court her?”

“Not that I remember. She’s just left for Tokyo though, and will be closeted with her foster-brother for _weeks_. I’m not sure whether she’s hiding or giving me space to allow me figure out how to handle the Arcobaleno and their Administrator on my own.” Kyōya twitches. “Be back in class before the bell rings. I have an idiot to concuss.” The prefect vanishes almost instantaneously, and Takeshi leans over and presses a kiss to the tip of his nose, and steals the last bit of sashimi.

“You heard Kyōya. Jan-Ken-Pon?” He laughs and nods. (Takeshi wins; he’s not surprised. He suspects the Rain has cheated, just to ensure he’s not ambushed in the corridor. And drat. He’d forgotten to ask about ‘Hayami’; surely if anyone in Namimori - anyone other than their kinsman, anyway - knew about them, it would be the town’s self-proclaimed guard. He didn’t think asking Shamal about them would be a good idea. Well, not yet.)


	7. Chapter 7

“Remember what I said, Tsuna-chan, about the cleaning.” He inclines his head, and their sensei smiles, and he was starting to get a feel for what he - Dino - had meant by Sky charisma. Not that he could do it as Dame-Tsuna, but he was starting to figure it out as Tsuna-chan. (And several of his classmates had _clearly_ already developed crushes on his senpai; whether those would survive the next few weeks, as his senpai demonstrated that he could both keep up with Hibari-senpai _and_ was as clumsy as could be when he was flustered for some reason.)

“Maa, maa. No need to worry, sensei. Chichi-ue demanded I bring Tsuna-chan home with me so he can feed her up.” Takeshi had a mischievous smile on his face. “He tried to persuade me to bring my jūkei and Sho-chan home with me, too, but I think that can wait for another day.” One of Dino’s eyebrow’s rises, and he wonders if his senpai hadn’t known about what Hibari had told him on the roof. (He wasn’t sure he dared refer to him as Kyōya or _my_ Cloud yet. Even if Takeshi would encourage him to.)

“Now shoo, the lot of you. You have chemistry, and that’s in the labs today.” His classmates laugh and pile out of the classroom, leaving him and Takeshi alone with their sensei. “You really should stop using your Rain Flames to lull your classmates, Takeshi-kun. You’ve pushed Kurokawa-chan to the edge of going Active in response to your use of them.” His Rain pouts. “If it’s conscious, stop. If it isn’t, I’m sure your father has exercises you can do to get it _under_ your control.”

“Why would Kurokawa-chan go Active because of Takeshi-kun’s Flames?”

“If I’m not mistaken, she’s a Cloud, and her territory is her girlfriend, Tsuna-chan. Imagine what could happen to Sasagawa-chan if it was someone less ethical than Takeshi lulled Kurokawa-chan into somnolence?”

“I don’t have to imagine, Dino-sensei. I killed the culprit. Though he wanted to try drugs, not Flames.” Takeshi’s voice sounded not smug, but eminently _pleased_ with himself. Like he imagined a large hunting cat would sound after a successful hunt. He shivers; he’d been Mochida’s other choice for victim. “Shigure Kintoki said it was the most righteous first kill he’d tasted in years.”

Their sensei pinches the bridge of his nose. “Go to Chemistry, brat. I think it’s just as well we’ve got the Eye of the Storm teaching ethics this term.”

(He thinks he hears a murmured ‘thank fuck Smoking Bomb’s not here yet’ as he leaves the classroom; he’s not sure whether he dares to be curious about someone his senpai calls by _that_ name.)

* * *

“ _Takeshi_.”

“You’re not getting out of a medical assessment, Tsuna-chan. Chichi-ue dragged me into Tokyo for mine; be glad that Shamal’s in Namimori, so you don’t have to travel.” His Rain has a tight grip on his wrist. “Reborn _listens_ to him. If Shamal says that you’re not fit for one of his entertainments, then Reborn’ll accept it _without_ you having to argue your case.”

“But -”

“Chichi-ue said he talked to him last night. He’s _safe_ , Tsuna-chan. He preferentially treats women and those who prefer to be female-presenting.” He sighs and lets his Rain tow him into the infirmary. “I’m going to wait outside, Shamal-san. Given what chichi-ue told me about the Vongola and losing their heirs, I don’t want to leave Tsuna-chan unguarded.”

“Come back in half an hour, brat, unless you don’t trust me with your Sky.” His Rain clearly is torn, but retreats, leaving him with the Italian medic. “You. Take a seat on the examination table. Strip as much as you’re comfortable with; I am going to need to check your organs, your reflexes and your Flame channels, and it’ll make it easier if I can touch bare-skin.” He makes a face. “Despite my, um, performances over the past month, I’m celibate by choice, Tsuna.” The medic’s lips twitch, his Flames flickering, and then the man makes a decision; the Flames that wash over him are curious, sweet and _feminine_. They leave him staring at Shamal in confusion. “Do you understand why I’m no threat to you, now?”

“Sort of. Reborn’s not been telling me _anything_ , and Dino-senpai implied Flames are gendered. Except gendered isn’t the right word, not really.” He’s starting to understand - now, he’s had some more ‘live’ examples - what Reborn had meant by ‘intuition’. “Do they normally line up to your sex, the types? Is that why people gender them?”

“It’s unusual for them not to line up, yes. How many do you think there are?”

“Four? Five, maybe? You don’t feel like the Mist that’s in town somewhere. Or Hibari-senpai. Or the Mist that visits Takesushi -”

“- Hibari-kun is searching for our unknown Misty resident. He hadn’t even realised they were present.” He hops up onto the examination table and debates himself for a moment before shrugging off both his shirt and skirt, choosing to sit there in his underwear; something about what he’s wearing makes the man laugh. “Takeshi-kun is _very_ possessive. Anyone would think he was the Cloud, not his cousin. Are the two of you sexually active, Tsuna-chan?” He shakes his head, blushing _furiously_. “Do you need a lecture on how to do be so safely?” He squeaks, shaking his head harder. Shamal turns, searching for something on his desk. “And you’re right. There’s five I’m aware of, and I’ve had a long time to do my research.”

The stethoscope is cold, and he squeaks; it makes Shamal chuckle, and the man directs him through a series of breathing exercises.

“The Mist who visits Takesushi’s Flames are nonbinary, as are they, though when forced by a language to pick _one_ gender, they prefer the feminine.” Shamal is scribbling on his clipboard as he speaks. “Kyōya is _very_ masculine, though the way he’s wrapped around you makes him more palatable. The Mist lurking in the town is agender, which I’ve only seen once or twice before. My Flames are feminine. There is also a presentation I’ve only seen in the Cavallone in Italy and the fox-allied clan here, in Japan, and a separate one that both is and isn’t Mist. It used to be Mist, but now it _isn’t_ ; I’ve yet to figure out how that happened. It would help if I could find where that entire damn clan ran off to -” he giggles. Shamal’s amusing when he’s babbling. “Your lungs are fine. The comparatively unpolluted air in this part of Hokkaido means you’ve outgrown the childhood asthma in your notes, though you do need to work on your lung capacity. Now. Cavallone admitted that he ran his Flames through your system; do you have an objection to me using the same technique? It’ll save us about an hour and a dozen tests.”

“Um. Should I?”

“Object? Your father and grandfather’s generation would. It was perfectly normal between those of the same gender when I was first born; outside of your gender was frowned on unless you shared a Sky.”

“It felt good when Dino did it. But he didn’t feel like Kyōya and Takeshi? He felt warm and safe and _loyal_ and not-human at all.” Shamal looks at him strangely, and he shrugs. “I can’t describe the sensation any better. Do feminine Skies prefer masculine Guardians and vice versa?” He holds his hands out to the medic, and Shamal takes them, dark blue Flames flickering into existence.

“If they have made their choices for compatibility rather than politics, yes.” The Flames crawl through his veins, curious, sweet, self-aware, and he shivers; he wishes he could claim them. “Or perhaps, it would be better to say that Skies prefer primary Guardians not of their gender. Sometimes secondaries can be same-gendered.” The Flames withdraw, and he whines, missing the sensation. “You were clearly Active for weeks or possibly even months before your idiot sperm donor lied to his boss; the pathways that your Flames should flow along are well-established and wide. You’ll be an amazing Sky if we can break _all_ of the blocks.” Shamal releases his hands. “You’re as malnourished as my idiot nibling is; I’m assuming that your mother, given her psychosis, has been feeding your meals more appropriate to a toddler rather than an Active Sky. You’ve seen how much your shadow eats, sì? That’s roughly the appropriate number of calories for you to be consuming, to avoid you consuming your soul instead.”

He shivers at Shamal’s words; they ring true. All of them. (Including the bit about his soul. He’s not sure what Shamal means by his soul; the man was clearly far older than even Reborn.)

“You can get dressed, Tsuna-chan. I’ll release you back to your Rain’s mercy. Just remember that when you’re ready to learn to ride, you should ask permission rather than seek forgiveness; errors in technique can be painful.” He flushes as he realises what Shamal means, and he pulls his blouse back on, buttoning it up, then wraps the skirt around his waist and buckling it closed. “If you decide you want to either transition fully, or settle somewhere in between states, Tsuna-chan, I will be privileged to help you. And if your Guardians hadn’t found you such a perfect source of lingerie, I would have been amused to help you figure yourself out.”

He squeaks and flees, running nose-first into Takeshi’s stupid chest. “Hiiieee!”

“What was that squeak for, sweetheart? Did Shamal -”

“- he was fine, I promise, ’Keshi.” His Rain grumbles and kisses his forehead. “No funny business happened. He just gave me things to think about. Lots of things to think about.” His Rain makes a curious sound. “About gender and Flames and Hibari-senpai -”

“- you can call him Kyōya, you know, lovely. And he’d melt like butter if you called him Kyō-koi.” He wriggles out of Takeshi’s grasp.

“Not yet, Keshi. Not yet.” He startles himself with the certainty of the words that spill from his lips. “Can’t call him that yet.”

Takeshi makes a face. “C’mon. I bought some things back from Sapporo last night - other than this morning’s knickers, I mean - and you should get to enjoy them. I think Kyōya’s heading there once he’s made his sweeps, too.”

* * *

The redhead from his class is sat on one of the stools at Takesushi’s bar, and Kyōya’s lurking in the shadows; he’s not sure he’s _supposed_ to be able to see him. “I thought you said you were going to wait a little longer to kidnap Sho-chan, ’Keshi?” He murmurs the question and his Rain shrugs.

“Apparently, Kyōya thought otherwise; I think he’s intrigued by our classroom’s kitsune. He’s fox-souled, and Kyōya does adore his small, fluffy animals.” He giggles. Takeshi taps him on the nose. “He imprinted on you a decade ago; Sho-chan just happens to suit his tastes quite well too. As does Hayami, for that matter.”

“You’ve met Hayami?”

“I escorted her to Sapporo last night. She’s pretty, like you are, Tsuna-chan. But I like you best, I think. Even if she might tempt me to do wicked things someday. Well, if you permit me to, I mean.” Takeshi kisses the tip of his nose, and then drags him over to the bar. “Did Kyō-kun _ask_ before he kidnapped you, Sho-chan, or did he just do his _very_ best impression of an imperial prince kidnapping a fox-bride?”

Shoichi squeaks; Hibari-senpai makes an amused sound, and he remembers the kamon on his Murasaki bra and the comment about the field of chrysanthemum, his eyes going wide. Hibari-senpai’s head tilts, as if in affirmation of his thought.

“He would make you a better Sun than any of the other candidates in Namimori, tenjō-tama. And a stronger Sun that any of the ones that your oyābun might send you.” He hears the rest of the words, the ones Hibari-senpai leaves unspoken words quite clearly, and he flushes.

“Maybe. But are you here because you want to be, Sho-chan, or because Hibari-senpai is _terrifying_?” The red-head gives him a speaking look, and he makes his own face. “Stupid question, I guess. Has he at least fed you?”

“My impossible nephew insisted that he would wait for you to arrive, Tsuna-chan. If you would herd the boys into the restaurant's private room, I would be _very_ appreciative. Kyō-kun is scaring the early diners off -" Tsuyoshi sounds amused.

(He obliges. Kyōya and Takeshi come willingly enough; Sho-chan takes a little coaxing. The room is just as traditional as he expects.)


	8. Chapter 8

“Hiiieee!” This isn’t his bed. This isn’t his room - either the new one or his old one - and he sits up warily. He’s clothed; that’s almost worse, somehow? He’d gone to sleep in pyjamas, and he’d woken up in lingerie and clothes that both felt, and smelt, brand new, the fabric stiff and slightly itchy. There’s a note pinned to his chest, and he unpins it carefully and unfolds it. It’s written in English (which is not his _best_ subject), and he has to puzzle through the message.

When he manages to translate it, he thumps his head back into the pillow (he’s rewarded with a cloud of dust that makes him _sneeze_ ) and fights the urge to scream. ‘As I can’t indulge in some of my other ideas of recreation, you can entertain me by trying a locked room puzzle, _Dame_ -Tsuna. You have an hour before your Cloud starts to rage.’

Which means it has to be somewhere between half-past six and seven am; the only reason for Hibari-senpai to be concerned about his absence is if he’s late arriving at school. He scans the note again, looking for the mark that Reborn had shown him (tiny, made using Sun Flames that felt like the heavy sun that left him burnt after minutes) that was his ‘proof of authenticity’ for a written note. (Especially given the use of the ‘Dame’; it made him angry. He thought that being Tsuna-chan meant that he wouldn’t have to deal with that prefix anymore.)

But the mark’s there, and he sighs and sits up, scanning the room, trying to recall the lessons Reborn had taught him about how to escape from anything he needed to escape from. (It had been the only ‘practical’ lesson his tutor had insisted on during the break between Nami-chuu and Nami-koko. It had scared him, and had been the one thing that had made him realise just how serious Reborn was about the Mafia and the danger that being _known_ as Vongola would put him in.) The room he’s in is dusty, likely in one of the akiya homes on the outskirts of Namimori; there’s obscured kamon, worn and hard to recognise on some of the visible beams. In terms of personal resources … his outfit has no pockets, but there’s a necklace, heavy and unfamiliar, the pendant settled between the small breast his bra gives him, and two bands around his wrists. (One is a European-style charm bracelet; it feels like some of the charms might be like Takeshi’s bento-band, the other braided cord.)

He stands up carefully, warily, not sure whether the bed might collapse or be on a pressure sensor; there’s a small ‘click’ when his weight is off the futon, but when nothing else happens, he breaths again. He crosses to the ‘lightest’ wall (carefully, eyeing the tatami and its rotten state, trying to remember how the mats should be laid out, where the strongest safest places to step would be) and attempts to slide it - he can see the runner; it’s meant to move - but it’s _stuck_ in place. He hadn’t really expected it to be so simple if he was honest with himself. The shōji is translucent, but when he touches it, it hums softly, a gentle buzz, and resists any attempt to rip or tear it, despite it being unlacquered. (He suspects it’s had another Flame used on it, the one that Takeshi had used to make himself hard to notice.)

(The kamon carved into the beams is a skylark, but rather than over a chrysanthemum, the way Hibari-senpai’s was, it was over a stylised flame.)

He sighs and leans against the panel, frustrated and embarrassed - he still doesn’t know who dressed him - and tries to _think_ about how to get out of what was clearly a room sealed with Flames. Cutting through the shōji had been the obvious solution, but that was the problem, wasn’t it? It was an obvious answer. Would the floor or ceiling be equally reinforced? He lifts one of the more intact tatami carefully, wary of what he would find underneath - the soft rushes could rot if left untended and damp - and finds an earth floor that feels frustratingly solid. He’d really _hoped_ it wouldn’t be the roof; he wasn’t confident in his climbing abilities. He hadn’t climbed a tree since his ‘father’ had last been in Japan, and he’d failed rope climbing _repeatedly_ in physical ed class.

He’s almost tempted to let Hibari-senpai _rage_. He’s fairly confident that while he might get a mild concussion, the house he’s in - and his tutor - would be the ones who suffered more. (On the other hand, he was Takeshi’s ikigai, and his classmate would be _murderous_. And Tsuyoshi had said Takeshi wasn’t ready to face Reborn.) He sighs and checks the necklace and the charm bracelet; maybe, if he was lucky, there’d be something useful?

Except there isn’t anything immediately obvious, and he eyes the various _visible_ wooden beams and makes a choice.

He’s three-and-a-half feet off the ground when he puts his hand on one of the obscured kamon, and it _burns_. He yelps and slips, crashing to the floor, breaking the contact. (His tail bone _hurts_. If he’s cracked it, school is going to be _miserable_.) There’s also a clunk, and the shoji slides open, and he’s going to murder his tutor. He’s sure Takeshi will help him.

The room beyond the shoji is bare, and he groans and smacks his head against the wall post. There isn’t even _tatami_ on the floor; it’s brushed dirt, and he stands up gingerly, rubbing his butt, and then takes a step into the new space. There’s an actual window in this one, but even he can see the red tint to the almost transparent screen in the frame - it makes him reluctant to touch it. (The colour itself is ominous, almost the shade of old blood, and it’s shifting and moving.) But he doesn’t have to, does he; he can throw a piece of the tatami at it and see what, exactly, happens. (It’s going to be explosive; he just knows it. But he doesn’t know _how_ he knows it. Which is highly frustrating.) Peeling up a piece of on the tatami - he chooses one of the mats that is disintegrating - and crosses closer to the window; he can barely hit a target with a ball (he’d have to ask Takeshi to try and teach him how to throw; he suspects his Rain will enjoy the chance to teach him) and throws the fragment. It disintegrates in a rain of rush fragments and a flash of red, and he’s glad he didn’t rush over to see if he could open it.

He fiddles with the charm bracelet absentmindedly, only for one of the charms to come loose, increasing in size so fast he actually drops it; the stylised blade is almost a foot long, and he squeaks. (It would be useful, but now he was slightly concerned about the _other_ charms on the bracelet.) He picks it up gingerly, not entirely sure what to do with the tantō - it was definitely a tantō, it was too long and too ornate to be a kaiken - and squeaks again when a flame presence brushes against his skin (it feels like Takeshi and Tsuyoshi).

“I suppose I _could_ try using you to cut through the shōji? I suspect you’d rather I use you to stab my enemies, but I have to get out of here before that can happen.” He doesn’t expect an answer, though the blade looks old, like the shinai Takeshi carries most of the time. (The bamboo of the shinai is newer, but the tsuba looked older than most of the ones in the museum their class had visited when they were at Nami-shoho.) On the other hand, if ch’i - Flames - were real, then tsukumogami might be, too?

He picks a section of screen, well away from the ominous window, but part of the same wall, and presses the blade to the wall. (If he was seeing light through the window and standing on an earth floor, then he _had_ to cutting through an outside ‘wall’ at ground level, right?) The tantō cuts through the wall like it’s _butter_ , and the cut reveals bright sunlight. (Bright enough that his guess of the time _had_ to be wrong.)

He squeaks and scrambles back, the blade still in hand when a _huge_ paw - it had to be bigger than his hand - pokes through the hole he’d just made. What had Reborn _done_?! Dino-senpai had said something about bears, but then brushed it off as something Reborn wouldn’t indulge in with him, at least not _yet_.

“Hiiieee!” Panic - and something else, something that burns like _fire_ \- course through his blood, and he nicks himself on the sharp tantō. He watches, almost hypnotised as the drop of blood that results slides down the spine of the blade and then _vanishes_.

“… what sort of trouble _did_ you get yourself into, little Sky of my kinsman?” The voice is soft, feminine and not one he recognises at all. “I did wonder why Takeshi-kun retrieved me from the armoury for the first time since his mother's death, but I think this explains _everything_.” Despite his unfamiliarity with her voice, he can see the resemblance to Takeshi, though, in the shape of her eyes. “The cat is not _actually_ a threat, little one; he’s curious. How you ended up where one of them could _find_ you is another issue entirely.” His eyes flick from the paw still fishing through the wall to the flame ghost he’d apparently summoned and back again. (The lack of visible claws on the paw suddenly registers.)

“He? How do you know the cat is a he?” He’s not sure why that’s what he’s focusing on. “And how _big_ is he?”

“The Flames are a giveaway, little one; as to how big? About your size, probably. The lynxes on the island are smug, oversized creatures, and he would probably quite like to be one of your Guardians.” He twitches, remembering Reborn’s comment about Dino’s Cloud being a horse. “It would be no bad thing for you to have one of our electric cats curled at your feet.”

“He’d terrify _everyone_.”

“Would that be so bad, little Sky of my kinsman? You’re vulnerable, and a prize that would be worth challenging the _shōgun_ for.” He squeaks, and she laughs. “At least last time I shared a Sky with one of the cats, they could shrink down to pretend to be a small cat, providing our Cloud cooperated.” He makes a face and crosses back to the shōji and tears the hole open wider - scared but resolute - only to end up on his ass (again) as a _lynx_ takes advantage of the hole he’s just made to lick his face. “… oh, he definitely wants to be your Lightning. Why don’t you climb out through that hole and let him guide you back to Namimori, little Sky.”

“Are you _sure_ he won’t eat me?”

“Absolutely, little Sky. No unbonded Flame Active is going to terrorise _you_ deliberately until you absolutely cannot accept any more bonds of their Flame-type.” The flame ghost sounds _so_ confident that he reaches out to the big cat and scritches the ears (they’re so soft), and is rewarded with a rumbling purr that turns into an indignant sound when he stops. “Now ask him to take you through the backway to the Asari estate, child. Your idiot-tutor will not have been able to block _that_ escape route.”

The cat doesn’t wait for him to ask, instead, chirping what was clearly meant as an agreement to the task and tugging (gently, a single claw catching the braided cord on his dominant wrist) gently until he sighs and climbs through the hole he’s made in the shōji. The lynx stands hip-high on him, silvery fur glimmering in the daylight, tiny flashes of green like dust motes on it; he wants to shriek, but restrains himself. “So. Can you take me to Tsuyoshi, um, Kaminari? I’ll think of a better name later -”

The cat nods and leads him through the woods around the old house. (It had to be part of the akiya programme; it was beautiful but rundown, and he felt guilty about the cut he’d made in its shōji.) The route ends at a hedge, and he really hopes he isn’t going to need to climb it, but Kaminari pushes through it, and he follows after the cat. They’re _right_ opposite Takesushi, which doesn’t _really_ make sense, but he sighs and runs fingers through his hair, trying to make himself look half-human before crossing the road, the lynx in tow, and pushing the door to the restaurant open.

“- Tsuna-chan? Oh, thank goodness. Takeshi’s been panicking since he arrived at school this morning.” He’s herded to the bar by the lynx, who Tsuyoshi really doesn’t seem surprised to see. (In fact, the older swordsman picks something up from his side of the bar, and the cat makes a pleased sound as he takes it from the man’s hand.)

“What time is it?”

“About eleven-thirty am. Takeshi admitted that he’d snuck into your room about three am to put the charm bracelet you’re wearing on your wrist; my silly son had said he couldn’t settle without knowing you had it.” Tsuyoshi’s lips twitch. “He’s been putting that together for you for almost two years, Tsuna-chan. I suspect the only reason I know about it because I am his swordmaster, and he needed to shrink several of the things he added to it.”

“But … I was _Dame_ -Tsuna when he started making it -”

“It had a different form - one slightly more masculine - before he went into Sapporo for me on Tuesday. He wanted you to have everything you might need to survive if your father’s mouth got you into trouble. Including his mother’s tantō.” The man sighs. “When Takeshi texted me, I told him that my best guess was that Reborn must have been feeling particularly mischievous this morning; given his contract, Reborn wouldn’t have been so calm if you’d actually been kidnapped, nor would Kyō-kun have been so sure you were still in Namimori.”

“I woke up in a dusty room in one of the old houses on the edge of town. It had kamon like Hibari-senpai’s, but with a stylised flame where the chrysanthemum is? And Reborn left a note on my chest saying something about being a locked-room puzzle? I think it was supposed to be a test of the kidnap-escape type-things he taught me when he first arrived.” Tsuyoshi’s eyebrows make it into his hairline; he’s not sure whether it’s the bit about Reborn or the kamon he’d described.

“No wonder you found one of the electric lynxes if he was using _that_ property to test you, Tsuna-chan.” His Rain’s father sighs. “Given your mother answered your phone this morning, I know why you didn’t ring, but why don’t you use my phone to send my silly son some reassurance; he’s got to be climbing the walls.”

He takes the proffered phone, taps out a message, sending it to Takeshi, before looking up at Tsuyoshi again. “Um, Tsuyoshi-san, I cut my way out of the house - do I need to go back and repair the shōji?”

“I’ll tell Kyō-kun that you did what you needed to do to escape, and he’ll detail some of his minions to make sure the house is weather-tight again.” He hands the phone back to his Rain’s father, and the man smiles. “Now. Why don’t you stay for lunch, Tsuna-chan; you and Takeshi are due to be in Asarigumi with me this afternoon rather than at school, after all.” His eyes widen. “Don’t worry; Takeshi’s going to practise his kata, and I’m going to introduce you to how to use the blade you’ve accidentally - but successfully - bonded to yourself.” He headdesks, and Tsuyoshi laughs. “Shamal will be there to supervise. You’ll be fine, I promise.”


	9. Chapter 9

“You’re okay.” Takeshi sweeps him up in a crushing hug lifting him off the floor entirely, and he squeaks. “I was so worried when you weren’t at school this morning. But Kyōya was so calm -”

“I think he was calm because I was on one of his clan properties, even if he didn’t know _which_ one.” Takeshi’s face is buried in his hair, and he hugs his Rain back. “Reborn … Reborn was testing me, ’Keshi. The tantō you gave me helped. As did Kaminari.”

“Kaminari?” The lynx mrrows and Takeshi twitches. “I haven’t seen any of you for years; I thought your pard had moved up higher into the mountains.” The lynx chuffs and shifts closer, rubbing against Takeshi’s legs, and his Rain releases him.

“Do all of your blades have ghosts in them, Takeshi-kun?”

“Most of them have souls.” His Rain’s eyes go wide. “I didn’t think haha-ue’s tantō had one, though. Is it her? Sometimes that happens when we die -” he shakes his head.

“She’s older. Old enough that she’s had a Sky that she shared with one of Kaminari’s kin.” Takeshi looks almost distraught, and he hugs his Rain. “Maybe your okaasan had other weapons on her when she, um, died?”

“Maybe.” Takeshi sighs. “C’mon, chich-ue’s probably expecting us to join him in the dojo. I need the meditation time, and well, you can’t carry the tantō I gave you at school if you don’t know how to wield her. Kyōya’s rules.” He trails Takeshi out through the back of the restaurant into an astonishingly pretty garden and along a pathway to what was clearly a _very_ old dojo. “Tsuna? That’s not one of the uniforms Kyōya or I have gotten you … it looks more like the one you were wearing on Monday.”

“I suspect Reborn dressed me. Which is seriously skeevy, ’Keshi; he’s an adult -”

“- tou-san won’t let me kill Reborn, Tsuna-chan.”

“You’re not _ready_ to kill him, musuko-kun. Killing an Arcobaleno takes patience and more skill than you’ve demonstrated so far; you’ve got to be able to either cut the link to their Sky - and have a substitute handy - _or_ kill all seven of them in succession.” Takeshi makes a face. “Precisely. And Reborn’s a Sun to boot; even if he’s an incompetent healer of others, he’s near-immortal.”

“You’re both _impossible_.” Tsuyoshi laughs at his protest. “Anyone would think you needed a minder, too, ji-san.”

“I’m working on that, Tsuna-chan. Your senpai is the first Sky I’ve been interested in since -” Tsuyoshi hesitates, then sighs. “- since my first Sky-candidate was lured away." He watches Tsuyoshi mentally shift gears. "Takeshi, get changed into your training gear. Tsuna-chan, can you show me your tantō? I need to see which one Takeshi gifted to you; I let him choose from our armoury.”

He hands the tantō over reluctantly, and Tsuyoshi runs his fingers over the blade carefully. “Is there something wrong, Tsuyoshi-ji?”

“I didn’t realise he’d given you Eiko’s tantō, Tsuna-chan. I’m just being sentimental; I think she would have been happy for this blade to be in your hands.” Tsuyoshi hands him the blade back. “I can tell that she’s bonded to you already; tell me _exactly_ what happened this morning.”

He babbles his way through his escape from the old house; Tsuyoshi’s fingers twitch in a pattern he recognises from Mochida’s um, execution. “Tsuyoshi-ji? Why are you trying to summon Shigure Kintoki?” His question breaks the pattern, and Tsuyoshi shakes himself.

“Reborn’s acknowledged that you’re feminine-natured, sì?” He nods. “He shouldn’t have stripped you out of your nightwear and redressed you -” he makes a face, "- all else aside, it’s taboo for anyone but a Guardian to do _that_ for their unconscious Sky. It would have been minimally acceptable if you and he were the same, um, gender, but the moment he acknowledged you _weren’t_ -’

He shivers. “That just makes it worse.”

“Given that Kyōya’s apparently swallowed his pride and persuaded his great-uncle to teach moral studies for the semester, I think that we best leave handling Reborn to him.” Tsuyoshi sighs. “We’ll start with the basics; how to hold your new blade. If you feel Flames guiding your movements, let them; our blade spirits will often help under certain circumstances.”

* * *

“What’s wrong, little animal?” He squeaks, and Hibari-senpai drops down onto the balcony from the roof. He shrugs, and Hibari-senpai steps closer, tilting his chin with one finger, so he has to look at the older teen. “You can’t sleep?” He nods. “Do you trust me, little animal?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” He squeaks again as he’s scooped up, and Kyōya jumps up onto the balcony rail, then down to ground level, and he flails internally as he’s kidnapped for the second time in eighteen hours. (Okay, maybe he’s not being kidnapped, but he’s not going to wake up where he’s supposed to in the morning for the second day in a row.) “Hibari-senpai?!”

“Call me Kyōya, little animal.”

“Where are we going, Kyōya-senpai?”

“If you can’t sleep, -” his Cloud (Dino had called Kyōya his Cloud) hesitates, and he waits, wondering what his Cloud is going to say, or offer. “- soaking in our onsen helps when I can’t sleep. And we need to talk, little animal. About who and what you want to be.” He buries his head in the shoulder he’s leant against; he doesn’t _want_ to think about that yet.

The onsen is old and dark, pools full of sulphurous, steaming water, and he’s grateful for the darkness; it makes stripping all the way done, out of even his underwear - white and plain, unlike the pretty knickers and bras that he’d been given to wear on Tuesday and Wednesday - easier, especially when Kyōya steps away from the water’s edge to retrieve something from a set of cubbies. He’s just dropped into the water - hissing; it is at, at least, blood temperature - when Kyōya returns with a couple of western-style dressing gowns and towels and something wrapped around his waist.

“Close your eyes, little animal.” He does so, and he hears - and feels - Kyōya slip into the pool beside him; he blushes furiously. Kyōya was _naked_ , in the same pool as him. “You can open your eyes again, Tsuna-chan; the water is cloudy enough you won’t see anything you don’t want to.”

“Your tattoos are pretty Kyōya-senpai.” His Cloud’s cheekbones are _pink_. Was his senpai embarrassed? Flattered? _Hibari-sama_?

“Where did the sun-menace take you this morning?”

“Out to one of the akiya. It has a kamon like yours, but with a flame where your chrysanthemum is. Which I’m not going to ask you about.” His Cloud rumbles a laugh, more purr than anything else. “Eep. We left Kaminari asleep on my bed -”

“- then the sun-menace will have to deal with your new, highly annoyed Electric guardian candidate. It will serve him right for this morning.” He shuffles a little closer to his Cloud, and Kyōya drapes an arm around his shoulders. “You’re safe, little animal.”[*]

* * *

The room he wakes up in (he’s still wrapped up in the western style dressing gown he’d stumbled up to the main house in after their _long_ soak in the hot pools) is very, very traditional. But well looked after traditional, rather than the akiya he’d woken up in the previous day. He peels himself up, out of bed, and blushes at the neat pile of clearly tailored uniform complete with yet another set of underwear in Murasaki-iro wrapped in brown paper. (Tsuyoshi had explained why his Rain and Cloud were so eager to see him in their colours; it was a _physical_ claim in lieu of their Flames being painted across his Sky.) There’s also a jug of hot water and a bowl, and he washes himself before putting on the silky soft clothes. (Compared to what Reborn had dressed him, it was like barely wearing anything.)

There’s a soft knock on the shōji frame, and his heart hammers in his chest for a moment before he thinks to say anything.

“Hibari-kun asked me to bring you down to join him and Shōichi for breakfast, Tsuna-hime.” The servant bows, far too deeply for who he is, and he makes a curious sound. “You are the young master’s Sky, Tsuna-hime; that makes you a Hibari princess.” He squeaks, and the servant’s lips curve. “If you’ll follow me, hime?”

He trails the woman through what is a _very_ traditional house (he didn’t think houses like this were even _lived in_ any more!) and out into a garden redolent with cherry blossoms; he’s led all the way out to a pavilion where Kyōya, wearing a yukata rather than his uniform, and Shō-chan are sat in seiza at a low table.

“Did you sleep well, Tsuna-chan?” The question comes from Sho-chan. He nods, cheeks suddenly hot (he’s not sure why). “Kyō-san said he couldn’t sleep either; I said he should make sure you were safe, rather than pacing outside my bedroom.” The red-head shrugs. “It seemed to work … I, at least, got some sleep.”

* * *

“Dame-Tsuna.” He flinches. “The cat-based booby-trap was rather underhanded. I’m reluctantly impressed.”

“It wasn’t intentional? And for the love of Inari, stop with the Dame! I’m not Dame. I’m not. I’m _Tsuna-chan_. I can do things. I’m learning. I have friends, people who like _me_. And kaa-chan is _seeing_ me for the first time since tou-san _broke_ me.”

“You do. And you are. But you’re also evading the lessons I _have_ to teach you.” He tilts his head, confused. “There was a lesson to yesterday's 'escape room’, Dame-Tsuna, and you skipped ninety percent of it to play with an oversized house cat.” Reborn looks - and sounds - genuinely annoyed. “Your father is unpopular; if you venture out beyond the area your Cloud - and his connections - protects, you _will_ find hitmen hunting you. I was offered three separate contracts for you before Timoteo asked me to tutor you. Iemitsu’s been boasting about his darling tuna-fishie for _years_.” He stares at Reborn in disbelief. “They want you dead to punish him - he’s untouchable thanks to Timoteo.”

“Hiiieee! _People want me dead?!_ ”

“I’m contracted to keep you alive - at least until you reach the age of majority.” His eyes have to be the size of dinner plates. “It’s a lucrative contract, and Timo bound me to it more carefully than I’m entirely happy with it. You’re not shaking free of me until then, Dame-Tsuna.” Reborn’s lips twitch. “And you’re going to _participate_ in that damn contract; you’re surviving the next four years, whether you like it or _not_.”

“ _Four_ years? I’m sixteen, Reborn -”

“- that’s when you think your majority is; on the other hand, I’m sure Timo was thinking of your eighteenth.” He makes a face. “Emancipation - for whatever reason - is your _other_ get-out clause, Tsuna-chan. Whether it be judicial, matrimonial or through another route -” he perks up, “- but then you lose my protection, Tsuna. Think carefully which way you want to jump, capische?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omake: Explicit - [Onsen V2 - Kyōya/Tsuna - POV Tsuna](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29219799/chapters/73655172) \- [return to text]

**Author's Note:**

> ~~If (when) I come up with sexy scenes for this fic - excluding AUs, which would need their Omake file, anyway - would my audience prefer them incorporated into the fic, or linked and separate so the overall rating could be dropped to a T?~~
> 
> * * *
> 
> Rating dropped to T; additional scenes will be split between various Misfire Omakes Files (names to be adjusted).
> 
> [*] follow to find a link to an explicit AU omake starting from this point.  
> [✝︎] follow to find a link to a non-explicit alternate-POV omake starting from this point.  
> [^] follow to find a link to an explicit canonical omake starting from this point.
> 
> * * *
> 
> There are now four, canonical to this fic, alternate/extension scenes, rated T:
> 
> Covering the events of Chapter 5 from Hayato's POV: [Hayato's Arrival & Capture](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29430240/chapters/72296073)  
> Set between Chapter 5 and Chapter 6, a piece from Shamal's POV: [Ransom & Shamal's Secret](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29430240/chapters/73194921)  
> Also set between Chapters 5 & 6, Dino's side of events: [Spar & Dinner](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29430240/chapters/73431081)  
> The healing Dino needs, post-spar & a trip to Sicily: [Bone Healing, Wednesday & Sicily](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29430240/chapters/73480275)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Misfire Omakes (Canonical & G/Teen)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29430240) by [Night-Mare (Aoife)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aoife/pseuds/Night-Mare)
  * [Misfire Omakes (AU & Explicit)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29219799) by [Night-Mare (Aoife)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aoife/pseuds/Night-Mare)




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